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ACTUAL  BUSINESS  DEPARTMENT,     NAPA   BUSINESS  COLLEGE 


A  SHORTER  COURSE 


INSTRUCTION 


GRAMMAR. 


Arranged  in  a  Manner  to  be  Easily  Understood  and  Applied. 


DKSICNKII  ESPECIALLY   FOR  PRACTICAL  INTSRUCTION  iff  BUSINESS  COLLEGES, 

AND    IN     ALL   SCHOOLS   WHERE   A    MERCANTILE    EDUCATION    IS   GlVEN. 


EDITION. 


COMPILED  AND   PUBLISHED   BY 

HEALD'S  BUSINESS   COLLEGE. 

SAN   FRANCISCO,  CAL. 
1897. 


Copyrigtited,  1883,  by 

BUSINESS  COLLEGER. 


PR  E  K  A 


THE  title  page  gives  a  very  complete  idea  of  this  publication,  and  it  seems  only 
necessary  to  add  a  few  suggestions  by  way  of  a  preface  to  explain  more  fully,  what 
called  forth  this  book  and  to  mention  some  of  its  more  prominent  features.  From  a 
somewhat  extended  experience  as  a  teacher,  the  author  felt  that  the  text-books  in 
grammar  were  filled  with  much  that  was  unnecessary  to  a  commercial  education,  and 
more  especially  is  this  shown  to  be  true  when  it  is  considered  that  a  majority  of  the 
students  do  not  attend  such  a  college  but  six  months,  many  of  whom  have  never 
before  made  grammar  a  study.  Hence  it  was  deemed  highly  essential  that  only 
important  practical  topics  should  be  dwelt  upon.  The  plan  pursued  is  to  define  the 
various  parts  of  speech,  instruct  in  sentence  building  and  then  present  errors  in  syntax 
for  the  student's  correction,  requiring  him  to  assign  reasons  therefor.  Appropriate 
space  is  devoted  to  composition,  extended  rules  for  spelling,  abbreviations,  punctu- 
ation, and  such  other  important  elements  of  grammar  as  are  deemed  indispensable  to 
a  thorough  business  education.  A  large  space  is  given  to  mispronunciation  of  words, 
and  a  still  larger  one  to  the  misuse  of  words.  These  subjects  are  arranged  alphabet- 
ically to  make  them  of  ready  reference,  and  the  student  will  find  it  a  valuable  book 
for  use  after  he  has  completed  his  course.  The  author  during  the  arrangement  of 
these  pages  has  frequently  consulted  the  works  of  some  of  our  prominent  grammari- 
ans, and  has  adopted  many  suggestions  which  seemed  to  be  useful.  Among  those  to 
whom  he  feels  himself  under  obligations,  and  gladly  makes  this  acknowledgment, 
may  be  mentioned  Brown,  Wells,  Sill,  Swinton,  Kerl  as  grammarians  and  as 
philologists,  Ayers'  Verbalist  and  Westlake's  Practice  Words.  If  this  book  shall 
succeed  in  relieving  the  important  study  of  grammar  of  much  that  is  not  essential 
and  of  pointing  out  a  more  attractive  and  shorter  route  of  travel  to  make  good 
writers  and  speakers,  the  author  will  feel  well  compensated  for  the  time  and  labor 
bestowed  in  its  publication.  Craving  the  indulgence  of  critics  for  any  short-comings, 
and  hoping  to  merit  the  approval  of  co-laborers  in  the  cause  of  science,  the  author 
presents  for  deliberation  his  "Shorter  Course  of  Oral  Instruction  in  Grammar." 


2003948 


I  N  E> 


Abbreviations 4 

table  of  general 5 

used  in  book-keeping  . .     6 

Adage,  definition  of 38 

Adjective,  definition  of. 24 

compound 24 

descriptive 24 

definitive 24 

participial 24 

proper 14 

Adjectives  and  participles,  how  con- 
nected    32 

Adverbs,  degree  of 26 

definitions  of 27 

Alphabet I 

Amen,  yes  and  no 27 

Apostrophe,  definition  of 38 

Article  (see  marginal  note) 9 

Auxiliaries,  list  of 64 

Axiom,  definition  of 38 

Balance   49 

Brackets 31 

Capital  letters 7 

exercises  for  correction  in 8 

Case II 

nominative 1 1 

Case,  objective n 

possessive 1 1 

possessive,  rules  for n 

Clause I 

Colon 31 

Comma 32 

Comparison,  definition  of 24 

Composition 35 

correction  of 37 

direction  for  writing 36 

preparation  of 36 


Conjunction,  definition  of 29 

Curves...  ..  31 


Contraction 4 

Dare  and  need 15 

Dash,  definition  of 30 

Declension 12 

Degree,  comparative,  definition  of 24 

Degree,  positive,  definition  of 24 

superlative,  definition  of 24 

Derivatives,  prefixes 2 

suffixes 3 

Diphthongs,  definition  of 49 

Ellipsis 37 

Elision 4,  3& 

English  grammar I 

Etymology I 

Exclamation,  definition  of. 38 

False  syntax,  promiscuous  exercises  50-63 

Figures  of  speech 37 

Forming  the  plural,  rules  for 10 

Gender,  definition  of 9 

Hyperbole,  definition  of 37 

Interjection 30 

Interrogation  point 32 

definition  of. 38 

Interrogative  Pronouns 14 

Irony 37 

I,  9 

i. 

Maxim,  definition  of 38 

Metaphor,  definition  of. 37 

Mispronunciation 38 

Misused  words 42 

Moods,  definition  of 15 

infinitive 15 

indicative...- 15 

imperative 15 

(v) 


Language 
Letter. . . 


INDEX. 


Moods  subjunctive 1$ 

potential 15 

Nouns  common,  definition  of 9 

abstract 9 

and  pronouns,  properties  of . . .     9 

collective 9 

definition  of. 9 

independent,  case  of. 31 

proper,  definition  of 9 

Noon  phrase 12 

Number 10,  16 

Orthography I 

Participles,  definition  of 49 

Parts  of  speech 9 

Person 9,  16 

Personification,  definition  of 37 

Period 30,  31 

Phrases. I,  25 

Phrase  adverbial,  definition  of. 27 

Pleonasm,  definition  of. 38 

Possessive  plural 12 

Prepositions,  definition  of. 28 

list  of 28 

Profanity 49 

Pronoun,  compound,  personal,  defini- 
tion of. 13 

Pronouns,  definition  of 9,  13 

Pronouns,  declension  of 13 

Pronouns,  division  of 13 

Pronoun  interrogative,  definition  of. . .   13 

Pronoun  personal,  definition  of 13 

possessive 13 

relative 13 

Prosody I,  64 

Proverb,  definition  of. 38 

Punctuation,  definition  of 30 

correction  in 32 

exercise  in 32 

Punctuation,  definition  of. 30 

Quotations,  how  written 32 

Quotation  marks,  single  and  double...  32 

Relative  Pronouns 14 

Review  (General) 33 


Rhetoric  (see  figures  of  speech) 37 

Semicolon 31 

Sentence 2 

Shall 64 

Simile,  definition  of 37 

Slang 48 

Spelling 2 

rules  for 2 

Stops  and  marks  (see  punctuation)  ...  30 

Syllable i 

Syntax i 

Tenses,  definition  of. 16 

present 16 

past 16 

present  perfect 16 

past  perfect 16 

future 16 

future  perfect 16 

Triphthong,definition  of 49 

Verbs  finite,  definition  of 15 

Verbs,  definition  of 14 

active  transitive 15 

auxiliary 64 

classes  of 14 

conjugation  of 16 

defective,  definition  of 15 

irregular 15,  20 

Verbs  finite,  definition  of 15 

intransitive 15 

irregular,  list  of 15 

modifications  of 15 

neuter,  definition  of 15 

passive 15 

regular 14 

redundant 15 

Verbs  irregular,  list  of, 20 

Will 64 

Word i 

Words,  classes  of 2 

compound 4 

derivatives 2 

formation  of 4 

Words,  primitive 2 


GRAMMAR     EXERCISES. 


Language  is  the  expression  of  ideas  by  means  of  signs  and  sounds. 

Language  is  either  spoken  or  written. 

English  Grammar  treats  of  the  laws  and  forms  of  the  English  lan- 
guage, and  teaches  how  to  speak  and  write  it  correctly. 

The  basis  of  Grammar  is  the  usage  of  our  best  writers  and  speakers. 

English  Grammar  is  divided  into  four  parts,  Orthography^  Etymology, 
Syntax,  and  Prosody. 

Orthography  is  derived  from  the  Greek  orthos,  correct,  and 
grapho,  to  write.  It  treats  of  the  properties  of  letters,  and  teaches  the 
art  of  writing  words  correctly. 

Etymology  (Greek  etumon,  true,  and  logos,  word).  It  treats  of  the 
various  inflections  and  modifications  of  words,  and  shows  how  they  are 
formed  from  their  simple  roots. 

Syntax  (Greek  suntaxis,  act  of  arranging  or  putting  together).  It 
treats  of  the  proper  arrangement  of  words  in  sentences,  according  to 
established  usage. 

Prosody  treats  of  punctuation,  of  the  quantity  of  syllables,  of  accent, 
and  of  the  laws  of  versification. 

ALPHABET. 

A  Letter  is  a  character  that  denotes  one  or  more  elementary  sounds. 
There  are  about  forty  elementary  sounds,  represented  by  twenty-six 
letters  called  the  Alphabet. 

A  Syllable  is  a  letter  or  combination  of  letters  pronounced  by  a 
single  impulse  of  the  voice. 

A  Word  is  a  syllable  or  combination  of  syllables  used  to  express  an 
idea. 

A  Phrase  is  two  or  more  words  put  together,  but  not  expressing  a 
thought. 

A  Clause  is  a  proposition  that  makes  but  a  part  of  a  sentence. 


GRAMMAR    EXERCISES. 


A  Sentence  is  a  group  of  words  making  complete  sense,  and  is  fol- 
lowed by  a  full  pause. 

SPELLING. 

Spelling  is  the  art  of  arranging  letters  into  words  in  accordance  with 
the  best  usage.  This  art  can  best  be  acquired  by  careful  observations 
in  reading,  by  writing,  and  by  reference  to  dictionaries. 

RULES  FOR  SPELLING. 

Words  may  be  divided  into  three  classes,  Primitive,  Derivative, 
and  Compound. 

PRIMITIVE  WORDS— Rules  for   Primitives. 

RULE  i. — Monosyllables  ending  in  f,  1,  or  s,  preceded  by  a  single  vowel t 
double  the  final  consonant. 

EXAMPLES. — Stuff,  bell,  miss. 

RULE  2. —  Words  ending  in  any  other  consonant  than  f,  1,  or  s,  do  not 
double  the  final  letter. 

EXAMPLES. — Put,  rap,  on,  trim,  brag,  star. 

EXCEPTIONS. — Add,  odd,  ebb,  egg,  inn,  bunn,  err,  burr,  purr,  butt,  buzz,  fuzz. 
RULE  3. — The  diphthong  ei  generally  follows  c  soft  and  s.     After 
other  letters  ie  is  used. 

EXAMPLES. — Deceive,  seize,  relieve. 
EXCEPTIONS. — Siege,  sieve,  and  a  few  others. 

DERIVATIVE   WORDS— Prefixes. 

RULE  4. — Derivatives  formed  by  prefixing  one  or  more  syllables  to 
words  ending  in  a  double  consonant  commonly  retain  both  consonants. 

EXAMPLES.— Enroll,  befall,  foretell  (from  roll,  fall,  tell]. 
EXCEPTION. — Until,  which  is  always  written  with  one  /. 

(a)  The  final  letter  of  a  prefix  is  sometimes  omitted. 
EXAMPLES. — Coexistent  for  rt?«-existent,  <z«/-arctic  for  a«//-arctic. 

(b)  The  final  letter  of  a  prefix  is  often  changed  to  one  which  will 
harmonize  in  sound  with  the  initial  letter  of  the  root. 

EXAMPLE. — /;»-pious  for  /»-pious. 

(c)  The  final  letter  of  the  prefix  generally  becomes  the  same  as  the 
first  letter  of  the  root. 

EXAMPLES. — 77-limitable,  /r-radiate,  ar-cept,  «?/-pose. 

The  principal  prefixes  which  undergo  this  change  are — 

Ad  =  ac,  af,  ag,  al,  an,  ap,  ar,  as,  at.  Con  =  co,  cog,  com,  col,  cor. 
Dis  =  dif,  di.  En  =  em.  E  =  ex,  ec,  ef.  Od  =  of,  oc,  od.  Sub  =  sue, 
suf,  sug,  sup,  sur,  sus.  Syn  =  sym,  syl.  Trans  =  tran,  tra. 

*The  vowels  are  a,  e,  i,  o,  u,  and  sometimes  w  and>». 


RULES  FOR  SPELLING. 


DERIVATIVE   WORDS— Suffixes. 

RULE  5. — On  receiving  a  suffix  beginning  with  a  vowel,  the  final  con- 
sonant of  a  monosyllable,  or  any  word  accented  on  the  last  syllable,  is 
doubled,  if  the  root  ends  with  a  single  consonant  preceded  by  a  single 
vowel;  otherwise  it  remains  single. 

EXAMPLES. — Dig-mg,  digging;  defer-wg-,  deferring. 

(a)  In  many  words  ending  in  /,  as  travel,  libel,  cancel,  council,  rival, 
etc.,  the  /  is  doubled  on  adding  a  suffix  beginning  with  a  vowel,  though 
the  accent  is  not  on  the  last  syllable;  others  follow  the  rule. 

(b)  As  x  final  is  equivalent  to  ks,  it  is  never  doubled. 
EXAMPLES. — Mix,  mixed,  mixing. 

(c)  When  in  the  derivative  word  the  accent  is  changed  to  a  preceding 
syllable  of  the  root,  the  final  letter  is  not  always  doubled. 

EXAMPLES. — Prefer,  preference;  refer,  reference;  transfer,  transferable. 

(ct)  The  derivatives  of  excel,  and  of  some  other  words,  though  the 
accent  is  changed,  still  double  the  final  letter. 

EXAMPLES. — Excel',  ex'cellent,  ex'cellence. 

RULE  6. — On  receiving  a  suffix  beginning  with  a  vowel  in  words  end- 
ing in  e  silent,  the  final  vowel  of  the  root  is  dropped. 

EXAMPLES. — 'Love-ing,  loving. 

It  is  also  dropped  in  some  words  ending  in  y  or  /. 

EXAMPLES. — Felicity-^  felicitate;  dei-ism,  deism. 

(a)  Contrary  to  the  general  rule  the  final  e  is  retained  when  preceded 
by  c  or  g  to  preserve  the  soft  sound  of  these  letters. 

EXAMPLES. — Peace-0£/<?,  peaceable;  so,  also,  we  have  singeing  and 
swingeing  to  distinguish  them  from  singing  and  swinging. 

(b)  The  final  letters  le  when  followed  by  ly  are  dropped. 
EXAMPLES. — Noble-/y,  nobly. 

So  also  t  or  te  before  ce  or  cy. 

EXAMPLES. — Vagrant-^,  vagrancy;  prelate-ry,  prelacy. 

(c)  Words  ending  in  //  usually  drop  one  /  in  taking  on  an  additional 
syllable  beginning  with  a  consonant. 

EXAMPLE.— Skill->/,  skilful. 

(d)  Sometimes  when  the  final  e  is  preceded  by  a  vowel,  it  is  dropped 
before  a  suffix  beginning  with  a  consonant. 

EXAMPLES. — True,  truly;  awe,  awful. 

The  final  e  preceded  by  a  consonant  is  dropped  before  a  suffix  begin- 
ning with  a  consonant  in  the  words  whole,  wholly;  judge,  judgment; 
acknowledge,  acknowledgment;  abridge,  abridgment. 

RULE  7. — The  final  y  of  a  root  is  generally  changed  to  i,  if  preceded 
by  a  consonant;  otherwise  it  usually  remains  unchanged. 


GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 


EXAMPLES. — Happy-esf,  happiest;  duty-<w,  duties. 

(a)  Before  the  terminations  ly  and  ness,  some  words,  as,  shy,  dry,  do 
not  change  the  final  y.    To  prevent  doubling  the  i,  the.y  is  not  changed 
when  the  suffix  begins  with  *. 

EXAMPLE. — Marry-/'^,  marrying. 

For  the  same  reason,  the  t  being  dropped  by  Rule  5,  in  die,  lie,  tie, 
vie,  the  *  is  changed  to.y. 

EXAMPLES. — Dying,  lying,  tying,  vying. 

(b)  The  /in  words  ending  in  /or/*,  is  often  changed  to  v  when  the 
suffix  begins  with  a  vowel. 

EXAMPLE. — Life,  lives. 

(f)  From  lay,  pay,  stay,  and  say,  though  y  is  preceded  by  a  vowel,  we 
have  laid,  paid,  staid,  said.  So  from  day  we  have  daily,  and  from  gay, 
gaily,  though  better  written  gayly. 

COMPOUND  WORDS— Formation. 

RULE  8. — Compound  -words  usually  follow  the  orthography  of  the 
primitive  words  of  which  they  are  composed. 

EXAMPLES. — All-powerful,  allpowerful;  over-throw,  overthrow. 

(a)  In  compound  words  which  are  closely  united,  full  and  all  drop 
the  final  /. 

EXAMPLES. — Handful,  careful,  always,  withal. 

But  in  those  compounds  which  are  merely  temporary,  the  //  is  retained. 

EXAMPLES. — Full-faced,  all-wise. 

(b)  When  possessives  are  compounded  with  other  words,  they  often 
drop  the  apostrophe. 

EXAMPLES. — Jferdsman,  helmsman. 

(c)  Chilblain,   welcome,  welfare,   and   fulfil,  drop  one  /,•  shepherd, 
wherever,    and   whosoever,   drop  an  e;  and   wherefore   and  therefore 
assume  an  e. 

Contraction  in  spelling  is  removing  a  letter  or  letters  from  a  word, 
and  using  the  apostrophe  instead;  as,  o'er  for  over.  Sometimes  two  or 
more  words  are  contracted  into  one  which  is  also  shown  by  the  apos- 
trophe; as,  'twere  for  it  were,  o'clock,  I'd,  won't,  etc. 

NOTE. — The  omission  of  letters  is  called  an  elision;  the  omission  of  words  an 
ellipsis. 

Abbreviation  is  a  short  way  of  writing  words,  by  omitting  letters 
and  using  a  period  at  the  end  of  the  contraction;  as,  Jno.  for  John,  Dr. 
for  doctor,  Oct.  for  October,  O.  for  Ohio, 


ABBREVIATIONS. 


TABLE  OF  ABBREVIATIONS  IN  GENERAL  USE. 


Ai,  first  quality. 

Abp.,  Archbishop. 

ad.  lib.,  at  option,  or  at  will. 

A.  D.,  In  the  year  of  our  Lord. 

Agt,  Agent. 

A.  M.,  Before  Noon,  In  the  year  of 
the  world. 

Art.,  Article. 
Asst.,  Assistant. 
Atty.,  Attorney. 

B.  A.  or  A.  B.,  Bachelor  of  Arts. 
B.  C.,  Before  Christ. 

B.  C.  L.,  Bachelor  of  Civil  Law. 
B.  D.,  Bachelor  of  Divinity. 

B.  M.,  Bachelor  of  Medicine. 
Bp.,  Bishop. 

C.  K,  Civil  Engineer. 
Chap.,  Chapter. 
Clk.,  Clerk. 

D.  C.  L.,  Doctor  of  Civil  Law. 
D.  D.,  Doctor  of  Divinity. 
Deft.,  Defendant. 

Dep.  Deputy. 

D.  G.  (Dei  Gratia),  By  the  grace  of 
God. 

D.  V.  (Deo  Volente),  God  willing. 

E.,  East.     Esq.,  Esquire. 

e.  g.  or  ex.  gr.,  for  example. 

etc.,  and  to  rest,  and  so  on. 

F.  M.,  Field-Marshal. 

F.  R.  S.,  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society. 

G.,  Greek. 

Gov.,  Governor. 

hdkf.,  handkerchief. 

Hon.,  Honorable. 

H.  M.  S.,  His  or  Her  Majesty's 
Service  or  Ship. 

H.  R.  H.,  His  or  Her  Royal  High- 
ness. 

Ib.  or  Ibid.,  In  the  same  place. 

Id.  (Idem),  the  same. 

i.  e.  (id  est),  that  is. 

I.  H.  S.,  Jesus  the  Saviour  of  Men. 

incog.  (Incognito    Ital.),  unknown. 

I.  P.  D.  (In  Praesentia  Dominorum), 
In  presence  of  the  Lords. 

J.  P.,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

Jr.,  Junior. 

J.U.  (or  V.)  D.,  Doctor  both  of  Civil 
and  Canon  Law. 


Lat.,  Latitude.     Long.,  Longitude. 

L.  D.,  Lady  Day. 

L.  B.,  Bachelor  of  Laws  (the  plural 
being  denoted  by  double  L. 

LL.D.  (Legum  Doctor),  Doctor  of 
Laws. 

1.  s.  d.,  pounds,  shillings,  pence. 

M.  (Meridien),  Noon. 

M.  A.  or  A.  M.,  Master  of  Arts. 

M.  C.,  Member  of  Congress. 

M.  D.,  Doctor  of  Medicine. 

M.  E.,  Methodist  Episcopal. 

M.  P.,  Member  of  Parliament. 

M.  R.  C.  S.,  Member  of  the  Royal 
College  of  Surgeons. 

Mus.  D.,  Doctor  of  Music. 

N.  North. 

N.  B.,  Mark  well,  observe. 

N.  S.,  New  Style. 

Nem.  Con.  or  Nem.  diss.  No  one 
contradicting  or  dissenting;  unan- 
imously. 

O.  S.,  Old  Style. 

P.  C.,  Privy  Councilor. 

Plff.,  Plaintiff. 

P.  P.,  Parish  Priest. 

P.  M.,  Postmaster,  afternoon. 

Pro  tern.  (Pro  tempore),  for  the  time. 

P.  S.  (Post  scriptum),  Postscript. 

Pres.,  President. 

Prof..  Professor. 

Q.,  Query,  Question. 

Q.  S.  (Quantum  sufficit),  enough. 

q.  v.  (quod  vide),  which  see. 

Rev.  Reverend. 

R.  N.,  Royal  Navy. 

S.,  South.     Sr.,  Senior.     St.,  Saint 

Sc.,  scilicet,  same  as  viz. 

Sec.,  Secretary,  seconds,  section. 

S.  L.,  Solicitor  at  Law. 

Sq.  (Sequens),  the  following;  Sqq., 
do.  in  the  plural.. 

S.  T.  P.  (Sanctae  Theologiae  Profes- 
sor), Professor  of  Theology. 

Treas.,  Treasurer. 

U.  P.,  United  Presbyterian. 

v.,  verse,     vs.,  against. 

W.  West. 

Xmas.,  Christmas. 

Ye    ys  the,  that. 


GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 


ABBREVIATIONS  USED  IN  BOOK-KEEPING. 

@,  at,  to,  per,  for  or  for  each. 

%,  account. 

amt,  amount. 

Ans.,  answer. 

Apr.,  April. 

ass't'd,  assorted. 

Aug.,  August. 

av.  average,  avoirdupois. 

Bal.,  Balance. 

B.  B.,  Bill  Book. 

Bbl.,  Barrel. 

bdls.,  bundles. 


bkts.,  baskets, 
bis.,  bales. 

b.  o.,  buyer's  option. 
Bo't,  Bought. 

B.  P.,  Bills  Payable, 
bque.,  barque. 

B.  R.,  Bills  Receivable, 
br.,  brig. 

Bu. or  Bush.,  Bushel, 
bxs.,  boxes. 

C.  (Centum),  a  hundred;  chapter. 

c.  or  ct.,  cent. 
!/,  Check  Mark. 
Cap.,  Capital. 

C.  B.,  Cash  Book. 
Chts.,  chests. 
Cks.,  checks,  casks. 

C.  O.  D.,  collect  on  delivery. 
Co.,  Company. 

Com.,  Commission,  or  committee. 

Const.,  Consignment. 

Cr.,  Creditor. 

Cs.,  cases. 

Ct.,  Count. 

cwt.,  Hundred  weight 

D.  or  d.  or  dol,  dollar. 

D.  B.,  Day  Book. 
Dec.,  December. 
Dft.,  Draft. 
Doz.,  Dozen. 

Do.  (Ital.  ditto,  said),  the  said,  the 

same. 

Dr.,  Doctor,  or  debtor, 
d's,  days. 

dwt.,  pennyweight 
ea.,  each, 

E.  E.,  Errors  excepted. 


emb'd ,  embroidered, 
Eng.,  English, 
ex.,  example, 
exch.,  exchange. 
Exp.,  expenses. 

E.  &  O.  E.,  Errors  and  omissions 
excepted. 

F.  or  Fol.,  Folio. 
Fav.,  Favor. 
Feb.,  February, 
fig'd ,  figured. 

f.  o.  b.,  free  on  board. 

fol.,  folio. 

for'd ,  forward. 

fr.,  francs. 

fit.,  freight. 

ft.,  feet  or  foot. 

gal.,  gallon. 

gr.,  grain,  gross. 

hf.,  half. 

hf.  chts.,  half  chests. 

hhd.,  hogshead. 

I.  or  Inv.,  Invoice. 

I.  B.,  Invoice  Book. 

in.,  inches. 

Ins.,  Insurance. 

Inst.  (Instante — mense  understood), 
Instant  of  the  present  (month); 
Institute. 

Int.,  Interest. 

Inv.,  invoice,  Inventory. 

I.  O.  U.,  I  owe  you. 

Jan.,  January. 

Ib.  (libra),  pound 

Led.,  Ledger. 

L.  F.,  Ledger  Folio. 

m/a,  months  after  date. 

Mar.,  March. 

Mdse.,  Merchandise. 

Mem.,  Memorandum. 

Mo.,  Month. 

MS.,  Manuscript;  MSS.,  Manu- 
scripts. 

No.,  Number. 

Nov.,  November. 

N.  P.,  Notary  Public. 

Oct.,  October. 

O,  I.  B.,  Outward  Invoice  Book. 

oz.,  ounce. 

•/„  Old  Account. 


CAPITAL  LETTERS. 


p.,  page. 

pp.,  pages. 

pay't ,  payment. 

pcs.  or  ps.,  pieces. 

Pd.,  paid. 

per,  by. 

per  ann.  (per  annum),  by  the  year. 

p.  or  pr.,  by  the. 

pkgs.,  packages. 

pits.,  plates. 

pr.,  pair. 

prox.  proximo  (the  next  month). 

pts.,  pints. 

pun.,  puncheon. 

qr.,  quarter. 

qts.,  quarts. 

Reed.,  received. 

rec't.,  receipt. 

R.  R.,  Railroad. 

s.,  shilling. 

S.  B.,  Sales  Book. 

Schr.,  Schooner. 

Sept.,  September. 

Sh.,  Ship. 

Shipt.,  Shipment. 


.  o.,  seller's  option. 
Str.,  Steamer. 
Sunds.,  Sundries, 
trcs.,  tierces, 
ult.   (ultimo  —  mense   understood), 

In  the  last  (month). 
U.  S.,  United  States,  United  Service, 
ves.,  vessel. 

viz.  (videlicet),  to  wit;  namely. 
W.  I.,  West  Indies, 
wt.,  weight. 
y.  or  yr.,  year, 
yds.,  yards. 
$,  dollar. 
£  or  L.,  pound. 
%,  per  cent. 
jj,  number. 
v    Fign  of  addition. 
-    sign  of  subtraction, 
x    sign  of  multiplication. 
-i-    sign  of  division. 
=    sign  of  equality. 
i1,  one  and  one-fourth. 
i2  one  and  one-half. 
i3,  one  and  three-fourths. 


CAPITAL   LETTERS. 

Capital  Letters  are  used  for  distinction. 
A  capital  letter  should  begin, — 

1.  The  first  word  of  every  sentence. 

2.  The  first  word  of  whatever  is  separately  paragraphed,  or  is  pre- 
sented as  a  distinct  and  important  saying. 

a.  The  word  That  of  a  resolution  or  enactment. 

3.  The  first  word  of  every  quotation. 

4.  The  first  word  of  every  line  of  poetry. 

5.  Every  word  or  title  denoting  the  Deity. 

6.  Every  proper  noun,  or  each  chief  word  of  a  proper  noun;  and 
every  title,  whether  used  alone  or  in  connection  with  a  proper  noun. 

This  rule  also  includes  the  following: 
The  names  of  the  days  of  the  week. 
The  names  of  holidays;  as,  the  Fourth  of  July. 
The  names  of  months. 
The  names  of  religious  sects. 
The  names  of  clubs,  societies,  and  political  parties. 
The  names  of  offices  and  officers,  when  specific  and  titular;  as,  President,  Gov- 


8  GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 

The  names  of  books,  newspapers,  magazines,  paintings,  etc. 
The  names  of  great  events  in  history:  as,  the  Revolution. 
The  names  of  streets,  courts,  and  "  places;"  as  Main  Street. 
The  names  of  hotels  and  public  buildings;  as,  the  City  Hall. 
And  generally  the  names  of  counties,  townships,  creeks,  hills,  etc. 

7.  Every  word  derived  from  a  proper  noun,  provided  the  word  has 
not  taken  its  place  among  the  common  words  of  the  language. 

8.  The  name  of  an  object  fully  personified;  as,  "Go  ye  Winds  and 
bear  love's  thoughts." 

9.  The  chief  words  of  every  phrase  or  sentence  used  as  a  heading  or 
as  a  title. 

10.  The  pronoun  I  and  interjection  O  should  always  be  written  in 
capitals.     Small  letters  are  preferred  in  all  ordinary  writing. 

11.  Any  unusually  important  word,  especially  when  it  denotes  the 
subject  of  discourse.     In  advertisements  and  notices  the  liberty  of  cap- 
italizing is  carried  to  an  almost  unlimited  extent. 

One  hundred  years  ago  all  nouns  and  many  other  important  words 
were  commenced  with  capitals,  and  is  still  in  practice  in  the  German 
language.  The  tendency  of  the  present  generation  is  to  do  away  as  far 
as  possible  with  their  use. 

EXERCISES    FOR    CORRECTION. 

Heald's  business  college  24  post  st. 
gen.  george  Washington  first  president  of  u  s. 
mr.  edwin  a.  drood  of  Sanfrancisco. 
mrs.  helen  b.  hood,  boston  mass. 
347  willow  st.  Newyork  N.  y. 
c.  p.  r.  r.  offices,  cor.  4Th.  &  townsend  st 
Sacramento  is  capital  of  California. 
The  summer  months  are,  June,  July,  &  august. 
The  college  sessions  are  from  9  am  to  4  pm. 
Very  Respectfully,  your  Obedient  Servant  general  andrew  Jackson. 
Hon.  Peter  Cooper  Esq. 
Packard's  commercial  arithmetic. 
The  states  of  California  Oregon  &  Nevada. 
Dr.  Valentine  Mott  M.  D. 
The  Pacific  ocean  lies  bet  china  &  cal. 

President  Adams  received  the  congratulations  of  the  french,  and 
Spanish  ministers. 

"Trust  in  god  but  keep  your  Powder  dry." 
Mark  twain  wrote  "life  on  the  Mississippi." 
Nellie  And  i  will  soon  go  to  eureka  Together. 


NOUNS  AND  PRONOUNS. 


The  fourth  of  July  sometimes  comes  on  Sunday,  Then  the  fifth  will 
be  monday. 

The  democrats  and  republicans  can  never  agree. 

Remember  the  old  maxim,  "honesty  is  the  best  policy." 
in  every  leaf  that  trembles  to  the  breeze 
I  hear  the  Voice  of  god  among  the  trees. 

I  saw  him  on  Wednesday  the  fourth  of  July. 

Here  I  and  sorrow  sit. 

Come,  gentle  spring. 

The  delighted  children  cried  "merry  Christmas" 

Virgil  says  "labor  conquers  all  things." 

Language  is  divided  into  nine  Parts  of  Speech,  called  Nouns,  Pro, 
nouns,  Articles*  Adjectives,  Verbs,  Adverbs,  Prepositions,  Conjunctions- 
and  Interjections. 

NOUNS. 

A  Noun  is  the  name  of  any  person,  place,  or  thing. 

Nouns  are  of  two  general  kinds,  Common  and  Proper. 

A  Common  Noun  is  a  general  name,  and  is  given  to  all  objects  of 
the  same  kind  or  class. 

A  Proper  Noun  is  a  distinctive  name  given  to  a  particular  person, 
place  or  object,  and  should  always  begin  with  a  capital  letter. 

NOTE. — A  noun  made  up  of  two  or  more  words  is  to  be  taken  as  one  proper 
noun;  thus,  Heald's  Business  College,  George  Washington,  Sierra  Nevada  Mount- 
ains, Fourth  of  July,  Alameda  County,  etc. 

We  also  have  the  Collective  Noun  and  the  Abstract  Noun. 

A  Collective  Noun  is  the  name  of  two  or  more  objects  taken 
together;  as  the  flock,  the  herd. 

An  Abstract  Noun  is  the  name  of  a  quality  or  condition;  as,  great- 
ness, sleep,  or  conduct. 

A  Pronoun  is  a  word  used  instead  of  a  noun;  as,  I,  thou,  you,  he, 
she,  it,  we,  their,  them,  called  personal  pronouns,  and  who,  which,  and 
what,  called  relative  pronouns. 

PROPERTIES  OF  NOUNS  AND  PRONOUNS. 

Nouns  and  Pronouns  have  four  properties,  person,  gender,  num- 
ber, and  case. 

Person.  There  are  three  persons;  called  the  first,  second,  and  third 
The  first  person  is  the  person  speaking;  the  second  person  is  the  person 
spoken  to;  the  third  person  is  the  person  or  thing  spoken  of. 

Gender  is  a  distinction  with  regard  to  sex.     Most  grammarians  say, 

*A,  an,  and  the,  commonly  called  articles,  should  be  classified  as  adjectives.  Nothing  is  gained 
by  making  them  a  separate  part  of  speech. 


10  GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 

"There  are  four  genders,  masculine,  feminine,  common,  and  neuter.  That 
the  masculine  denotes  males,  the  feminine  females,  the  common  both,  and 
the  neuter  neither."  But  in  reality  there  are  but  two  genders,  masculine 
and  feminine. 

NOTE. — Child  is  what  grammarians  call  common  gender,  which  does  not  distin- 
guish its  sex,  for  every  child  is  either  male  or  female;  the  word,  however,  is  common  to 
both  sexes. 

House  has  no  gender,  and  it  were  as  well  to  attempt  to  estimate  the  wealth  of  a 
penniless  man  as  to  provide  a  name  expressing  the  gender  of  a  book,  slate,  or 
desk. 

EXERCISE. 

Write  the  feminine  gender  of  the  following  nouns :  Brother,  son, 
uncle,  hunter,  actor,  Julius,  landlord,  executor. 

Also  the  masculine  of  the  following  nouns :  Niece,  roe,  queen,  hero- 
ine, lioness. 

NUMBER. 

Number  is  of  two  kinds,  singular  and  plural. 
The  singular  number  denotes  but  one. 
The  plural  number  denotes  more  than  one. 

RULES  FOR  FORMING  THE  PLURAL. 

RULE  9. — The  plural  number  is  generally  formed  by  annexing  s  to  the 
singular. 

EXERCISE. 

Write  the  plural  of  the  following:  Book,  desk,  boy,  son,  daughter, 
case. 

RULE  10. —  When  tJie  singular  ends  in  s,  sh,  z,  x,  and  ch  soft,  the  plurat 
is  formed  by  annexing  est  making  another  syllable;  as,  fish,  fish-es; 
bunch,  bunch-es;  box,  box-es. 

EXCEPTIONS. — Some  nouns  ending  in  o  preceded  by  a  consonant  take  es  to  form 
the  plural  without  increasing  the  syllables;  as  hero,  heroes;  potato,  potatoes. 

EXERCISE. 

Write  the  plural  of  the  following  nouns :  Kiss,  cross,  match,  adz,  tax» 
compass,  horse,  miss,  thrush. 

RULE  ii. —  When  the  singular  ends  in  y,  preceded  by  a  consonant,  the 
plural  is  formed  by  changing  tht  y  into  ies;  as,  fly,  flies;  lady,  ladies;  bal- 
cony, balconies. 

REMARK. — But  when  preceded  by  a  vowel  the  plural  is  formed  by  the  general 
rule. 

EXERCISE. 

Write  the  plural  of  the  following  nouns :  Story,  party,  beauty,  joy, 
ray.  quality,  duty,  pony,  jury,  society,  century,  donkey. 


THE   CASES.  11 


RULE  12. — Some  nouns  ending  in  f  or  fe  form  their  plural  by  changing 
forfe  into  ves;  as,  wife,  wives;  knife,  knives. 

EXERCISE. 

Write  the  plural  of  the  following  nouns :  Thief,  leaf,  self,  elf,  loaf, 
shelf,  wolf,  beef,  life,  calf,  sheaf,  half. 

REMARK. — Many  nouns  form  their  plural  irregularly;  as,  man,  men;  woman, 
women;  foot,  feet;  tooth,  teeth. 

RULE  13. — Some  nouns  have  no  plural;  as,  gold,  pride,  meekness. 

RULE  14. — Proper  names  of  individuals  used  as  such  have  no  plural. 
When  several  persons  of  the  same  name  are  spoken  of,  the  noun  becomes, 
in  some  degree,  common,  and  admits  of  the  plural  and  takes  the  article  the 
before  it;  as,  The  Smiths,  the  Jonses;  so,  also,  when  such  names  are  used 
to  denote  character;  as,  the  Washingtons,  the  Websters. 

EXERCISE. 

Write  the  plural  of  the  following  nouns:  Mouse,  goose,  ox,  deer,  die, 
child,  louse,  sheep,  salmon,  cloth,  heathen,  grouse,  penny,  pea. 

Some  nouns  have  only  the  plural  form;  as,  breeches,  dregs,  tongs, 
nuptials,  pantaloons,  pincers,  victuals,  scales,  scissors,  shears,  vitals. 

Form  the  plural  of  the  following  words:  Gold,  cargo,  staff,  penny, 
vermin,  swine,  salmon,  pride,  chimney,  journey  donkey,  hose,  odds, 
father-in-law,  court-martial,  dwarf,  proof,  datum,  deer,  beau,  oasis,  Mr., 
solo,  cupful,  basketful,  sheep,  Dr.  Drood,  Mr.  Smith,  I,  she,  you,  he, 
3,  4,  d,  e,  n,  forget-me-not,  heathen,  knight-templar.  " 

Write  the  singular  of  the  following  words:  Do,  dice,  alms,  riches, 
oats,  go,  are,  were,  walk,  had,  have,  men-servants,  Messrs.,  goods,  see, 
recipes,  indexes,  formulas. 

CASE. 

The  case  shows  the  relation  of  a  noun  or  pronoun  to  some  other 
word  in  the  sentence. 

There  are  three  cases,  nominative,  possessive  and  objective. 

The  Nominative  Case  is  that  form  of  the  noun  or  pronoun  when  it 
is  the  subject  of  a  verb. 

The  Possessive  Case  is  that  form  of  a  noun  or  pronoun  when  it 
expresses  possession;  as,  child,  child's. 

The  Objective  Case  is  that  form  when  a  noun  or  pronoun  becomes 
the  object  of  a  verb  or  preposition,  and  in  nouns  is  the  same  form  as 
the  nominative  case. 

RULES  FOR  THE  POSSESSIVE  CASE. 

RULE  15. — The  possessive  singular  is  formed  by  annexing  an  apostro 
phe  (')  and  s  to  the  nominative  singular;  as,  boy,  boy's. 
*  The  apostrophe  and  s  are  used  to  pluralize  letters  and  figures. 


12  GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 

RULE  1 6. — The  possessive  plural  is  generally  formed  by  annexing  an 
apostrophe  to  the  nominative  plural;  as,  boys,  boys';  but  when  the  nomi- 
native plural  does  not  end  in  s,  the  possessive  plural  is  formed  like  the 
possessive  singular;  as,  children,  children's;  oxen,  oxen's. 

RULE  17. — Noun-phrases  take  t/ie  possessive  case  on  the  last  word;  as, 
General  George  Washington's  life. 

When  the  ownership  is  joint,  the  sign  of  the  possessive  case  should 
be  on  the  last  mentioned  name,  thus;  a  building  owned  jointly  by  Jones 
and  Bradley  would  be  written  Jones  &  Bradley's  building. 

When  there  is  separate  ownership,  each  should  have  the  sign  of  the 
possessive  case;  thus,  two  buildings,  one  owned  by  Jones  and  the 
other  owned  by  Bradley,  should  be  written  Jones's  and  Bradley's 
buildings. 

NOTE. — Authors  are  divided  in  the  formation  of  the  possessive  plural  of  nouns 
that  have  only  the  singular  form;  such  as,  deer,  sheep,  grouse,  etc.,  some  placing 
the  apostrophe  before  the  s,  others  after  it.  We  think  the  latter  preferable,  for  the 
reason  that  a  distinction  is  thereby  made  between  the  singular  and  plural  forms 
without  any  very  grave  infraction  of  the  laws  of  grammar;  as,  deer's,  neers'. 

FALSE  SYNTAX. 

Cunningham's  Curtiss's  &  Welch's  book-store  is  on  Sansome  Street. 

The  horse  was  driven  two  day's  drive  in  one. 

Have  you  ever  read  Popes  Poetical  Works? 

Their  fathers  wealth  was  the  cause  of  John  and  James'  downfall. 

As  shown  in  exercises  on  the  preceding  page,  the  apostrophe  and  s  are 
not  always  a  sign  of  the  possessive  case,  but  are  used  to  pluralize  letters 
and  figures. 

In  writing,  no  exceptions  should  be  made  in  forming  the  possessive 
case  singular;  always  form  the  plural  by  the  use  of  the  apostrophic  s 
even  though  the  name  end  in  s;  as  Dickens's  works. 

EXCEPTIONS.— There  are  nouns,  however,  that  would  sound  so  very  awkwardl^ 
it  would  be  best  to  except  them;  as,  conscience'  sake;  Moses1  book. 

Proper  nouns  have  no  plural  form  in  the  possessive  case. 
Declension.      A  noun  is  said  to  be  declined  when  we  name  its  three 
cases  in  the  two  numbers;  the  process  of  doing  so  is  called  declension. 

DECLENSION  OF  NOUNS. 
BOY.  MAN.  LADY.  SHEEP. 

SINGULAR.         PLURAL.        SINGULAR.         PLURAL.        SINGULAR.         PLURAL.         SINGULAR.         PLURAL. 

Norn.  Boy,        boys,        man,  men,          lady,         ladies,        sheep,       sheep. 

Pass.  Boy's,      boys'        man's,         men's,         lady's,       ladies',       sheep's,     sheeps'. 
Obj.    Boy,        boys,        man,  men,  lady,         ladies,         sheep,       sheep. 

NOTE. — A  noun  or  pronoun  denoting  the  same  person  or  thing  is  generally  in  the 
same  case;  as,  Jones  is  a  printer;  Nell  is  a  scholar. 


PRONOUNS.  13 


EXERCISE. 

Write  the  possessive.,  singular  and  plural  (if  any),  of  the  following 
nouns: — 

1.  child;  prince;  woman;  king;  cable;  tutor. 

2.  peril;  mercy;  father;  Henry;  aunt;  cat. 

3.  Charles;  gardener;  brother;  poetess;  author;  painter. 

4.  sculptor;  engineer;  sister;  Socrates;  princess;  bridge. 

5.  house;  Peter;  righteousness;  ox;  thief. 


PRONOUNS. 

Pronoun  means,  for  a  noun,  and  is  so  called  because  it  is  used 
instead  of  a  noun. 

Pronouns  are  divided  into  personal,  interrogative,  relative,  adjective, 
possessive,  and  compound. 

A  Personal  Pronoun  is  one  that  distinguishes  grammatical  persons. 

An  Interrogative  pronoun  is  one  used  in  asking  a  question;  who, 
which,  and  what  are  the  leading  ones. 

A  Relative  Pronoun  is  one  that  immediately  follows  its  antecedent; 
as,  who,  which,  what,  and  that. 

An  Adjective  Pronoun  is  a  word  used  as  both  adjective  and  pro- 
noun; such  as  some,  other,  any,  each,  every,  either,  one,  all,  such, 
much,  many,  none,  same,  few. 

A  Possessive  Pronoun  represents  the  owner,  and  object  possessed; 
as  mine,  thine,  ours,  hers  or  theirs. 

A  Compound  Personal  Pronoun  is  a  simple  pronoun  with  self  01 
selves  annexed;  as,  himself,  themselves,  etc. 

NOTE. — There  are  other  classifications  of  pronouns,  by  grammarians;  such  as, 
definite,  indefinite,  distributive,  reciprocal,  etc.,  which  seem  unnecessary  to  dwell 
upon  in  ''A  shorter  Course  of  Oral  Instruction  in  Grammar." 

DECLENSION  OF  PRONOUNS. 

THE   PERSONAL   PRONOUNS. 

The  personal  pronouns  have  modifications  denoting  person,  gender, 
number,  and  case.  They  are  thus  declined: — 

SINGULAR.  PLURAL. 

NOMINATIVE          POSSESSIVE        OBJECTIVE         NOMINATIVE  POSSESSIVE     OBJECTIVE 

First  Person,  I,          my  or  mine,        me.  We,       our  or  ours,      us. 

Second,  You,      your  or  yours,     you.  You,      your  or  yours,  you. 


j  Mas.,     He,       his, 


Third,     -   Fern.,     She,       her  or  hers,         her.       >       They,    their  or  theirs,  them. 

(  Neut.,    It,          its, 
Second  person,  solemn  style,  Thou,  thy  or  thine.     Nominative  plural,  Ye. 


him.  ) 
her.  \ 
it.  ) 


14  GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 

THE  RELATIVE  AND  INTERROGATIVE  PRONOUNS. 

The  relative  and  interrogative  pronouns  who  and  which  have  modifi- 
cations denoting  case.     That  and  what  are  not  declined. 

SINGULAR.  I'LURAL. 

NOMINATIVE      POSSESSIVE      OBJECTIVE        NOMINATIVE         POSSESSIVE  OBJECTIVE 

Mas.  or  Fern.         Who,          whose,        whom.  Who,  whose,  whom. 

Mas.  Fern.  orNeu.  Which,       whose,        which.  Which,         whose,  which. 

EXERCISE. 

Tell  the  person,  number,  and  case  of  the  pronouns. 

1.  Heaven  helps  men  who  help  themselves. 

2.  Promise  me  that  you  will  send  him  what  he  wants. 

3.  Whatever  he  asks  I  will  give  him. 

4.  Avoid  such  companions  as  do  not  speak  the  truth. 

5.  Who  found  the  money  ?     It  was  we. 

6.  We  bathed  in  Great  Salt  Lake,  whose  waters  floated  us  like  corks. 

7.  I  think  I  know  what  you  were  talking  about. 

8.  This  is  the  dog  that  worried  the  cat  that  caught  the  rat  that  ate 
the  malt. 

9.  Whom  did  you  say  she  married  ? 

10.  What  is  it  worth ?    What  is  it  good  for? 

1.  Compose  a  sentence  containing   the  personal  pronoun  of  the  first 
person  singular. 

2.  Compose  a  sentence  containing  the  personal  pronoun  of  the  third 
person  plural. 

3.  Compose  a  sentence  containing  the  personal  pronoun  of  the  third 
person,  singular  number,  feminine  gender. 

4.  Compose  a  sentence  containing  the  relative  who  in  the  objective 
case. 


VERBS. 

Verb  is  from  the  Latin  verbum,  meaning  word,  and  signifies  to  be,  to 
act,  or  to  be  acted  upon;  as,  I  am,  I  love,  I  am  loved. 
CLASSES. 

Verbs  are  divided  with  respect  to  their  form,  into  four  classes,  regu- 
lar, irregular,  redundant,  and  defective. 

A  Regular  Verb  is  one  that  forms  its  past  tense  and  past  parti- 
ciple by  annexing  d  or  ed  to  the  present. 

NOTE  i.— The  present  participle  of  all  verbs  is  formed  by  the  suffix  ing  to  the 
root  of  the  verb. 

NOTE.  2  — The  principle  parts  of  all  regular  verbs  are  formed  as  follows:  Pres- 
ent tense,  -walk;  past  tense,  walked;  present  participle,  -walking;  past  participle, 
walked. 


MODIFICATIONS    OF    VERBS.  15 

An  Irregular  Verb  is  a  verb  that  does  not  form  its  past  tense  and 
past  participle  with  d  or  ed;  as,  do,  did,  doing,  done. 

A  Redundant  Verb  is  a  verb  that  forms  its  past  tense  or  past 
participle  in  two  or  more  ways;  as,  thrive,  thriving,  thrived,  or  thriven. 

A  Defective  Verb  is  a  verb  that  forms  no  participle,  and  is  used  in 
but  few  of  the  moods  and  tenses;  as,  beware,  ought,  quoth. 

QUERY. — Is  hear,  a  regular  or  irregular  verb  ? 

Verbs  are  divided  again,  with  regard  to  their  significations,  into  four 
classes,  active-transitive,  active-intransitive,  passive,  and  neuter. 

An  Active-transitive  Verb  is  a  verb  that  expresses  an  action 
which  has  some  person  or  thing  for  its  object;  as,  "Ned  loves  Nell;" 
"Cain  slew  Abel." 

An  Active -intransitive  Verb  is  a  verb  that  expresses  an  action 
which  has  no  person  or  thing  for  its  object;  as,  "James  reads." 

REMARK. — A  verb  that  takes  the  noun  things  and  makes  good  sense  after  it, 
is  a  transitive  verb,  but  when  it  does  not,  it  is  an  intransitive  verb. 

A  Passive  Verb  is  a  verb  that  represents  its  subject  or  nominative, 
as  being  acted  upon;  as,  I  am  loved. 

A  Neuter  Verb  is  a  verb  that  expresses  neither  action  nor  passion, 
but  simply  being  or  a  state  of  being.  He  is,  you  are. 

MODIFICATIONS. 

Verbs  have  modifications  of  four  kinds:  namely,  Moods,  Tenses, 
Numbers,  and  Persons. 

MOODS. 

Moods  are  the  different  forms  of  the  verb,  each  of  which  expresses 
the  action  in  some  particular  manner. 

There  are  five  moods:  the  Infinitive,  the  Indicative,  the  Poten- 
tial, the  Subjunctive,  and  the  Imperative. 

The  Infinitive  Mood  is  that  form  of  the  verb  which  expresses  the 
being,  action  or  passion,  in  an  unlimited  manner;  as,  to  run,  to  love. 

The  Indicative  Mood  simply  indicates  or  declares  a  thing  or  asks  a 
question;  as,  I  walk,  or,  Do  you  study? 

The  Potential  Mood  expresses  power,  liberty  or  possibility;  as  He 
can  go,  John  would  learn. 

The  Subjunctive  Mood  represents  the  being  or  action  as  doubtful 
and  contingent;  as,  If  you  know,  disclose  the  fact. 

The  Imperative  Mood  is  that  form  of  the  verb  used  to  express  a 
command,  an  entreaty,  or  permit;  as,  "Wayward  sisters,  depart  in 
peace."  Forgive  me. 

REMARK. — A  finite  verb  is  a  verb  not  in  the  infinitive  mood. 


16  GRAMMAR    EXERCISES, 

TENSES. 

Tenses  are  those  modifications  of  the  verb  which  distinguish  time. 

There  are  six  tenses:  the  Present,  the  Past,  the  Present  Perfect, 
the  Past  Perfect,  the  Future,  the  Future  Perfect. 

The  Present  Tense  expresses  the  present  time;  as,  I  hear  a  voice. 

The  Past  Tense  expresses  what  took  place  in  some  time  past;  as, 
George  excelled  in  his  class  yesterday. 

The  Present  Perfect  Tense  expresses  an  action  as  completed  at 
the  present  time;  as,  John  has  read  his  book. 

The  Past  Perfect  Tense  denotes  past  completion,  or  an  event  trans- 
piring before  some  other  occurrence;  as,  Mary  had  been  excused. 

The  Future  Tense  denotes  future  time;  as,  I  shall  go. 

The  Future  Perfect  Tense  denotes  future  completion;  as,  He  will 
have  eaten. 

PERSONS  AND  NUMBERS. 

RULE  1 8. —  Verbs,  like  nouns,  have  two  numbers  and  three  persons,  and 
always  agree  with  the  subject  nominative  in  both  number  and  person. 

EXCEPTION. — The  Infinitive  Mood  having  no  relation  to  a  nominative  is  exempt 
from  the  agreement. 

NOTE  i. — Verbs  in  the  Imperative  Mood  commonly  agree  with  the  pronouns  thou, 
ye,  or  you  understood;  as,  Give  heed  to  duty's  call. 

NOTE  2. — The  adjuncts  of  a  nominative  do  not  control  its  agreement  with  the  verb; 
as,  the  hotel,  with  the  other  buildings,  was  destroyed. 

NOTE  3. — The  Infinitive  Mood,  a  phrase  or  a  sentence,  is  sometimes  the  subject  of 
*  finite  verb,  the  verb  should  be  third  person  singular;  as,  "  To  see  the  sun  is  pleasant," 
To  lie  is  base.  How  far  the  change  would  contribute  to  his  welfare,  comes  to  be  con- 
sidered. 

NOTE  4. — A  neuter  or  passive  verb  between  two  nominatives  should  be  made  to 
agree  with  the  preceding  noun;  as,  "Words  are  Wind,"  except  when  the  words  are 
transposed;  as,  "The  wages  of  sin  is  death,"  or  when  a  question  is  asked;  as,  Who 
are  you? 

NOTE  5. — Dare  and  need  are  sometimes  used  without  the  s  in  the  third  person 
singular. 

The  foregoing  definitions  are  such  as  have  met  the  approval  of  most 
of  our  authors  of  text-books  on  grammar. 

The  writer  of  this  treatise  does  not  fully  indorse  the  opinions  and 
views  herein  set  forth,  for  it  seems  unnecessary  to  make  more  than  three 
divisions  of  time — the  past,  the  present,  and  the  future — and  the  author 
fails  to  understand  how  the  student  is  instructed  as  to  the  usage  of  our 
best  writers  and  speakers  by  the  employment  of  moods  and  tenses,  and 
the  cumbersome  system  pursued  by  grammarians  in  the  conjugation  of 
the  verb.  It  will  be  the  purpose  of  th;<  publication,  in  the  main,  to 
present  as  exercises  faulty  expressions  for  the  student's  correction. 


PERSON  AND    NUMBER.  17 

FALSE   SYNTAX. 

You  was  kindly  received. 

We  was  disappointed. 

She  dares  not  oppose  it. 

His  pulse  are  too  quick. 

Circumstances  alters  cases 

He  needs  not  trouble  himself. 

Twenty-four  pence  is  two  shillings. 

On  one  side  was  beautiful  meadows. 

He  may  pursue  what  studies  he  please. 

What  have  become  of  our  cousins? 

What  says  his  friends  on  this  subject? 

What  avails  good  sentiments  with  a  bad  life? 

What  sounds  have  each  of  the  vowels? 

There  were  a  great  number  of  spectators. 

There  are  an  abundance  of  treatises  on  this  subject. 

While  ever  and  anon  there  falls 

Huge  heaps  of  hoary,  mouldered  walls. — Dyer. 

Not  one  of  the  authors  who  mentions  this  incident  is  entitled  to 
credit. 

The  man  and  woman  that  was  present,  being  strangers  to  him,  won- 
dered at  his  conduct. 

O  thou,  forever  present  in  my  way, 
Who  all  my  motives  and  my  toils  survey. 

The  derivation  of  these  words  are  uncertain. 

Two  years'  interest  were  demanded. 

One  added  to  nineteen  make  twenty. 

The  road  to  virtue  and  happiness  are  open  to  all. 

A  round  of  vain  and  foolish  pursuits  delight  some  folks. 

To  obtain  the  praise  of  men  were  their  only  object. 

RULE  19. —  When  the  nominative  is  a  collective  noun  conveying  the  idea 
of  plurality,  the  verb  must  agree  with  it  in  the  plural  number;  as,  The 
jury  have  agreed  upon  a  verdict. 

RULE  20. — A  collective  noun  conveying  the  idea  of  unity  requires  a  verb 
in  the  singular  form;  as,  The  army  was  defeated;  or  it  may  take  the  plu- 
ral form;  as,  The  armies  were  defeated. 

EXERCISES. 
Correct  the  following: 

The  people  rejoices  in  that  which  should  cause  sorrow. 
The  committee  has  attended  to  their  duties. 
Mankind  was  not  united  by  the  bonds  of  civil  society. 


18  GRAMMAR   EXERCISES. 

The  majority  was  not  disposed  to  adopt  the  measure. 

The  peasantry  goes  bare-foot  and  the  middle  class  makes  use  of 
wooden  shoes. 

All  the  world  is  spectators  of  your  conduct. 

The  church  have  no  power  to  inflict  corporal  punishments. 

The  fleet  were  seen  sailing  up  the  channel. 

The  meeting  have  established  several  salutary  regulations. 

The  regiment  consist  of  a  thousand  men. 

A  detachment  of  two  hundred  men  were  immediately  sent. 

In  this  business  the  House  of  Commons  were  of  no  weight, 

Are  the  Senate  considered  as  a  separate  body? 

There  are  a  flock  of  birds. 

To  steal  and  then  deny  it  are  a  double  sin. 

To  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  piously,  are  required  of  all  men. 

That  it  is  our  duty  to  promote  peace  and  harmony  among  men, 
admit  of  no  dispute. 

The  reproofs  of  instruction  is  the  way  of  life. 

So  great  an  affliction  to  him  was  his  wicked  sons. 

What  is  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  San  Francisco  ? 

RULE  21. — Two  or  more  singular  subjects  meaning  different  things  > 
joined  by  and,  take  a  verb  in  the  plural;  as : 

"Judges  and  Senates  have  been  bought  for  gold; 
Esteem  and  love  were  never  to  be  sold ." — Pope. 

EXCEPTION  i. — A  gentleman  and  scholar  lives  here.  This  means  that  one  person 
is  both  a  "gentleman"  and  a  "scholar,"  and  that  he  lives  here.  There  is  but  one 
person  spoken  of,  and  notwithstanding  we  give  him  two  different  names,  the  verb  is 
in  the  singular  number,  for  the  reason  that  the  verb  makes  a  statement  of  a  subject, 
and  not  of  its  names. 

EXCEPTION  2. — "Why  is  dust  and  ashes  proud  ?"  The  singular  verb  is  correct, 
because  we  are  really  speaking  of  one  thing,  a  "man."  "Love  and  love  only  is  the 
loan  for  love." —  Young. 

EXCEPTION  3. — The  man,  and  not  his  servants,  is  responsible.  This  sentence  is 
correct  One  subject  is  singular  and  the  other  plural.  We  let  the  verb  agree  with 
the  affirmative  subject,  leaving  the  negative  form  to  be  understood. 

EXCEPTION  4. — Can  it  be  said  that  every  man  and  every  woman  is  happy?  When 
two  singular  subjects  joined  by  and  are  described  by  the  adjectives  each,  every  or  no, 
the  verb  takes  a  singular  form. 

FALSE    SYNTAX. 

Temperance  and  exercise  preserves  health. 

Time  and  tide  waits  for  no  man. 

Wealth,  honor  and  happiness  forsakes  the  indolent. 

In  unity  consists  the  security  and  welfare  of  every  society. 

High  pleasures  and  luxurious  living  begets  satiety. 

Wisdom,  and  not  wealth,  procure  esteem. 


PERSON  AND  NUMBER.  19 

Not  fear,  but  labor,  have  overcome  him. 

Not  her  beauty,  but  her  talents,  attracts  attention. 

Each  day  and  each  hour  bring  their  portion  of  duty. 

Every  house  and  every  cottage  were  plundered. 

The  time  will  come  when  no  oppresser,  no  unjust  man,  will  be  able 
to  screen  themselves  from  punishment. 

Town  or  country  are  equally  agreeable  to  me. 

The  king,  with  the  lords,  and  the  commons,  compose  the  British 
parliament. 

NOTE. — The  speaker  should  mention  his  name  last,  except  in  confessing  a  fault, 
and  then  he  may  assume  the  first  place. 

RULE  22. — Two  or  more  singular  subjects  joined  by  or  or  nor  re- 
quire a  singular  verb;  as,  John  or  his  brother  has  the  book. 

RULE  23. —  When  nominatives  are  of  different  persons,  the  verb  agrees 
with  the  first  in  preference  to  the  second,  and  with  the  second  in  preference 
to  the  third;  as,  Neither  you  nor  I  am  loved. 

RULE  24. — Two  or  more  phrases,  like  nouns,  connected  by  and  when 
they  are  subjects  of  a  verb,  require  a  plural  verb;  as,  To  be  happy,  to  be 
good,  to  be  wise,  and  to  be  just,  are  valued  qualities. 

RULE  25. — Two  or  more  distinct  subject  phrases  connected  by  or  or  nor 
require  a  singular  verb. 

FALSE   SYNTAX. 

Neither  imprudence,  credulity,  nor  vanity  have  ever  been  imputed  to 
him. 

What  the  heart  or  the  imagination  dictate  flows  readily. 

Either  ability  or  inclination  were  wanting. 

The  sense  or  drift  of  a  proposition  often  depend  upon  a  single  letter. 

Neither  he  nor  you  was  there. 

Either  the  boys  or  I  were  at  fault. 

Neither  the  captain  nor  the  sailors  was  saved. 

Are  they  or  I  expected  to  be  there  ? 

Neither  he,  nor  am  I,  capable  of  it. 

Neither  were  their  riches  nor  their  influence  great 

I  and  my  father  were  riding  out. 

I  and  Jane  are  invited. 

They  ought  to  invite  me  and  my  sister. 

To  profess,  and  to  possess,  is  very  different  things. 

To  practice  tale-bearing,  or  even  to  countenance  it,  are   great  in- 
justice. 
To  reveal  secrets  or  betray  one's  friends,  are  contemptible  perfidy. 


20  GRAMMAR   EXERCISES. 

RULE  26. —  When  verbs  are  connected  by  a  conjunction,  they  must  either 
agree  in  mood,  tense  and  form,  or  have  separate  nominatives  expressed;  as, 
He  himself  held  the  plow,  sowed  the  grain,  and  attended  the  reapers. 
She  was  proud,  but  she  is  now  humble. 

EXERCISE   FALSE   SYNTAX. 

They  would  neither  go  in  themselves  nor  suffered  others  to  enter. 
Did  he.  not  tell  thee  his  fault,  and  entreated  thee  to  forgive  him  ? 
The  day  is  approaching,  and  hastens  upon  us. 

This  report  was  current  yesterday,  and  agrees  with  what  we  heard 
before. 

RULE  27. — The  past  tense  should  not  be  used  to  compound  the  tenses, 
nor  should  the  past  participle  be  used  for  the  past  tense:  as>  To  have  seen> 
not,  to  have  saw.  I  did  it,  not,  I  done  it. 

EXERCISE. 

They  have  chose  the  part  of  honor  and  virtue. 

He  soon  begun  to  be  weary  of  having  nothing  to  do. 

Somebody  has  broke  my  slate.     I  seen  him  when  he  done  it 
IRREGULAR   VERBS. 

An  Irregular  Verb  is  one  that  does  not  form  its  past  tense  and  past 
participle  by  annexing  d  or  ed  to  the  present;  as,  see,  saw,  seeing,  seen. 
LIST  OF  IRREGULAR  VERBS. 

EXPLANATION. — When  a  verb  has  a  past,  or  past  participle,  or  both, 
of  the  regular  conjugation,  this  fact  is  indicated  by  placing  -ed  after  the 
form  or  forms.  This  -ed  is  to  be  suffixed  to  the  root,  care  being  taken  to 
observe  the  rule  of  spelling  for  derivative  words. 

When  the  -ed  is  in  heavy  type  it  indicates  that  the  -ed  form  is 
preferable. 

The  forms  in  italics  are  either  out  of  use,  seldom  used,  or  not  used  by 
the  best  authors. 


PRESENT. 

PAST. 

PRESENT  PARTICIPLE. 

PAST  PARTICIPLE. 

abide 

abode 

abiding 

abode 

arise 

arose 

arising 

arisen 

awake 

awoke,  -ed 

awaking 

awaked 

be  or  am 

was 

being 

been 

bear  (to  bring  forth) 

bore,  bare 

bearing 

bom 

bear  (to  carry) 

bore,  bare 

bearing 

borne 

beat 

beat 

beating 

beaten,  beat 

begin 
behold 

began 
beheld 

beginning 
beholding 

begun 
beheld 

belay 

belaid,  -ed 

belaying 

belaid,  -ed 

bend 

bent,-ed 

bending 

bent,-ed 

bet 

bet,-ed 

betting 

bet,-ed 

bereave 

bereft 

bereaving 

bereft,  -ed 

beseech 

besought 

beseeching 

besought 

beware 

IRREGULAR    VERBS 


21 


PRESENT. 

PAST.                              PRESENT   PARTIClPLJfc 

PAST  PARTICIPLE. 

bid 

bid,  bade 

bidding 

bidden,  bid 

bide 

bide,-ed 

biding 

bide,-ed 

bmd,-un,-re 

bound 

binding 

bound 

bite 
bleed 

bit 
bled 

biting 
bleeding 

bitten,  bit 
bled 

blend 

blent,  -ed 

blending 

blent,-  ed 

bless 

blest,  -ed 

blessing 

blest,  -ed 

blow 

blew 

blowing 

blown 

break 

broke,  brake 

breaking 

broken,  brokt 

breed 

bred 

breeding 

bred 

bring 
build,  -re,-up 

brought 
built,-ed 

bringing 
building 

brought 
built,  -ed 

burn 

burnt,  -ed 

burning 

burnt,  -ed 

burst 

burst 

bursting 

burst 

buy 
can 

bought 
could 

buying 

bought 

cast 

cast 

casting 

cast 

catch 

caught,  -ed 

catching 

caught,  -ft/ 

chide 

chid,  chode 

chiding 

chidden,  chid 

choose 

chose 

choosing 

chosen 

cleave  (to  adhere) 

cleaved,  clave 

cleaving 

cleaved 

cleave  (to  split) 

clove,  cleft,  clave 

cleaving 

cleft,  cloven 

climb 

climbed,  clomb 

climbing 

climbed 

cling 
clothe 

clung 
clothed,  clad 

clinging 
clothing 

clung 
clad,-ed 

come,-ee,-ffuer 

came 

coming 

come 

cost 

cost 

costing 

cost 

creep 

crept 

creeping 

crept 

crow 

crew,  -ed 

crowing 

crowed 

cut 

cut 

cutting 

cut 

dare  (to  venture) 

durst,  -ed 

daring 

dared 

deal 

dealt,-** 

dealing 

dealt,  -ed 

dig 
do,  -««,  -mi  j,  -over 

did' 

digging 
doing 

dug,-ed 
done 

draw,-zwV/i 

drew 

drawing 

drawn 

dream 

dreamt,,  ed 

dreaming 

dreamt,  -ed 

dress,  -un,-rt 

drest,-ed 

dressing 

drest,-ed 

drink 

drank,  drunk 

drinking 

drunk,  drunken 

drive 

drove 

driving 

driven 

dwell 

dwelt,  -ed 

dwelling 

dwelt,  -ed 

eat 

ate,  eat 

eating 

eaten,  eat 

fen,* 

fell 

falling 

fallen 

feed 

fed 

feeding 

fed 

feel 

felt 

feeling 

felt 

fight 

fought 

fighting 

fought 

find 

found 

finding 

found 

fke 

fled 

fleeing 

fled 

fling 

flung 

flinging 

flung 

fly 

flew 

flying 

flown 

forbear 

forbore 

forbearing 

forborne 

forbid 

forbade 

forbidding 

forbidden 

forget 
forsake 

forgot 
forsook 

forgetting 
forsaking 

forgotten,  forgot 
forsaken 

freeze 

froze 

freezing 

frozen 

freight 

freighted 

freighting 

fraught,  freighted 

getj  ~dfm  ~for 

got, 

getting 

got,  gotten 

giw 

gird,  -be,  -un,  -en 

gilt,-ed 
girt,-ed 

gilding 
girding 

gilt,-ed 
girt,-ed 

give,-for,-mts 
go,-fore,-under 

gave 
went 

giving 
going 

given 
gone 

grave,  -en 

graved 

graving 

graven  -ed 

grind 

ground 

grinding 

ground 

22 


GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 


PRESENT. 

PAST. 

PRESENT  PARTICIPLE. 

PAST  PARTICIPLE. 

grow 
hang* 
have 

grew 
hung 
had 

growing 
hanging 
having 

grown 
hung 
had 

hear,-ozw 

heard 

hearing 

heard 

heave 

hove,-ed 

heaving 

hoven,-ed 

hew 

hewed 

hewing 

hewn.-ed 

hide 

hid 

hiding 

hidded,  hid 

hit 

hit 

hitting 

hit 

hold,-fe,-Tt>#/l,-*/^ 

held 

holding 

held,  holden 

hurt 

hurt 

hurting 

hurt 

keep 

kept 

keeping 

kept 

kneel 

knelt,  -ed 

kneeling 

knelt,  -ed 

knit 

knit,-ed 

knitting 

knitted 

know  -fore 

knew 

knowing 

known 

lade 

laded 

lading 

laded,  laden 

lay,-w» 

laid 

laying 

laid 

lead,-wM 

led 

leading 

led 

leap 
learn 

leapt,  -ed 
learn  t,-ed 

leaping 
learning 

leapt,-ed 
learnt,  -ed 

leave 

left 

leaving 

left 

lend 

lent 

lending 

lent 

let 

let 

letting 

let 

lie  (to  recline} 
light 

lay 
lit,-ed 

lighting 

lain 
lit,.ed 

load,-«»,-<wr 

loaded 

loading 

loaded,  laden 

lose 

lost 

losing 

lost 

make 

made 

making 

made 

may 

might 

mean 

meant 

meaning 

meant 

meet 

met 

meeting 

met 

mow 

mowed 

mowing 

mown,  -ed 

must 

ought 

outdo 

outdid 

outdoing 

outdone 

pass 

past,-ed 

passing 

past,-ed 

pay,-*? 
pen  (to  enclose) 
prove 

paid 
pent,-ed 
proved 

paying 
penning 
proving 

paid 
pent,-ed 
proven,  -ed 

put 

put 

putting 

put 

quit 

quit,-ed 

quitting 

quit,-ed 

quoth 

rap 

rapt,.ed 

rapping 

rapt,_ed 

read 

read 

reading 

read 

rend 

rent 

rending 

rent 

rid 

rid 

ridding 

rid 

ride 

rode,  rid 

riding 

ridden,  rid 

ring 

rung,  rang 

ringing 

rung 

rise,  -a 

rose 

rising 

risen 

rive 

rived 

riving 

riven,  -ed 

run  ~out 

ran,  run 

running 

run 

saw 

sawed 

sawing 

sawn,-ed 

sa.y,-unt-gain 

said 

saying 

said 

see,-f0re 

saw 

seeing 

seen 

seek 
seethe 

sought 
sod,-ed 

seeking 
seething 

sought 
sodden,  -ed 

sell 

sold 

selling 

sold 

send 

sent 

sending 

sent 

set,  -be 

set 

setting 

set 

shake 

shook 

shaking 

shaken 

shall 

should 

*Hangt  to  take  life  by  hanging,  is  regular. 


IRREGULAR    VERBS. 


23 


PRESENT. 

PAST. 

PRESENT   PARTICIPLE. 

PAST    PARTICIPLE. 

shape,  -mis 
shave 

shaped 
shaved 

shaping 
shaving 

shapen,  -ed 
shaven,  -ed 

shear 

sheared,  shore 

shearing 

shorn,  -ed 

shed 

shed 

shedding 

shed 

shine 

shone,  -ed 

shining 

shone,  -ed 

shoe 

shod 

shoeing 

shod 

shoot,  -over 

shot 

shooting 

shot 

show 

showed 

showing 

shown,  -ed 

shred 

shred 

shredding 

shred 

shrink 

shrunk,  shrank 

shrinking 

shrunk,  shrunken 

shut 

shut 

shutting 

shut 

sing 
sink 

sang,  sung 
sank,  sunk 

singing 
sinking 

sung 
sunk 

sit 

sat 

sitting 

sat 

slay 

slew 

slaying 

slain 

sleep 
slide 

slept 
slid 

sleeping 
sliding 

slept 
slidden,  slid 

sling 
slink 

slung,  slang 
slunk,  slank 

slinging 
slinking 

slung 
slunk 

slit 

slit,-ed 

slitting 

slit,-ed 

smell 

smelt,  -ed 

smelling 

smelt,  -ed 

smite 

smote 

smiting 

smitten,  stnit 

sow  (to  scatter) 

sowed 

sowing 

sown,-ed 

speak,  -be 
speed 
spell,  -mis 

spoke,  spake 
sped,-ed 
spelt,  -ed 

speaking 
speeding 
spelling 

spoken 
sped,-ed 
spelt,  -ed 

spend,  -mis 

spent 

spending 

spent 

spill 

spilt,  -ed 

spilling 

spilt,  -ed 

spin 

spun,  span 

spinning 

spun 

spit* 

spit,  spat 

spitting 

spit 

split 

split,  -ed 

splitting 

split,  -ed 

spoil 

spoilt,  -ed 

spoiling 

spoilt,  -ed 

spread,  -over,  -be 

spread 

spreading 

spread 

spring 
stand,  -with,  -under 

sprung,  sprang 
stood 

springing 
standing 

sprung 
stood 

stave 

stove,,  ed 

staving 

stove,  -  ed 

stay 

staid,,  ed 

staying 

staid,  -ed 

steal 

stole 

stealing 

stolen 

stick 

stuck 

sticking 

stuck 

sting 
stride,  -be 

stung 
strode,  strid 

stinging 
striding 

stung 
stridden 

strike 

struck 

striking 

struck,  stricken 

string 

strung 

•   stringing 

strung 

strive 

strove 

striving 

striven 

stiovf,-strew,'be 

strowed,  strewed 

strowing  or  strewing  strown,  strewn 

s\vea.r,-for 

swore,  square 

swearing 

sworn 

sweat 

sweat,  -ed 

sweating 

sweat,  -ed 

sweep 

swept 

sweeping 

swept 

swell 

swelled 

swelling 

swollen,  -ed 

swim 

swam,  swum 

swimming 

swum 

swing,  -recover 
take,  -mis,  -under,  -re 

swung 
took 

swinging 
taking 

swung 
taken 

teach,  -tt«,-;«zj 

taught 

teaching 

taught 

tear 

tore,  tare 

tearing 

torn 

\.s\l,-fore 

told 

telling 

told 

think,  -be 

thought 

thinking 

thought 

thrive 

throve,  -ed 

thriving 

thriven,  -  ed 

throw,  -over 

threw 

throwing 

thrown 

thrust 

thrust 

thrusting 

thrust 

tread,  -re 

trod 

treading 

trodden,  trod 

*S$it,  to  put  on  a  spit,  is  regular. 


24  GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 


PRESENT. 

PAST. 

PRESENT  PARTICIPLE 

PAST    PARTICIPLE. 

wake 

woke,-ed 

waking 

woke,  -ed 

wax 

waxed 

waxing 

waxen,  -ed 

wear 

wore 

wearing 

worn 

weave 

wove 

weaving 

woven 

wed 

wed,-ed 

wedding 

wed,-ed 

weep 

wept 

weeping 

wept 

wet 

wet,-ed 

wetting 

wet,-ed 

whet 

whet,-ed 

whetting 

whet,-ed 

will 

would 

willing 

win 

won 

winning 

won 

wind,-«» 

wound,  -ed 

winding 

wound 

work 

wrought,  -ed 

working 

wrought,  -ed 

wot 

wist 

wring 

wrung,  -ed 

wringing 

wrung,  -ed 

write 

wrote,  writ 

writing 

written 

ADJECTIVES. 

An  Adjective  is  a  word  used  to  describe,  qualify  or  limit  a  noun  or 
pronoun;  as,  a.  good  boy,  ten  men,  a  white  horse,  that  book,  the  children, 
a  cow. 

Adjectives  are  divided  into  five  kinds,  as  follows:  Descriptive, 
Definitive,  Proper,  Compound  and  Participial. 

A  Descriptive  adjective  describes  or  qualifies:  as,  good,  bad,  etc. 

A  Definitive  adjective  defines  or  limits.  The  following  are  the  prin- 
cipal ones:  a  or  an,  the,  one,  two,  three,  etc.,  this,  that,  these,  those,  each, 
every,  either,  some,  other,  any,  all,  much,  such,  none,  many,  same,  feiu 
both,  several. 

A  Proper  adjective  is  one  derived  from  a  proper  noun;  as,  Califor- 
nian,  Chinese,  Platonic. 

A  Compound  adjective  is  one  that  consists  of  two  or  more  words 
joined  together;  as,  black-and-tan,  web-footed,  sun-burnt. 

A  Participial  adjective  is  one  that  has  the  form  of  a  participle;  as, 
an  amusing  tale. 

Adjectives  have  Comparison  and  Number. 

Comparison  in  the  use  of  adjectives  is  expressing  a  word  in  different 
degrees. 

There  are  three  degrees  of  comparison,  Positive,  Comparative, 
and  Superlative. 

Positive.  An  adjective  is  in  the  positive  degree  when  it  expresses 
simply  quality. 

Comparative.  An  adjective  is  in  the  comparative  degree  when  it 
expresses  a  quality  in  a  higher  or  lower  degree. 

Superlative.  An  adjective  is  in  the  superlative  degree  when  it 
expresses  a  quality  in  the  highest  or  lowest  degree. 

Adjectives  of  one  syllable  are  regularly  compared  by  annexing  er  to 


ADJECTIVES.  25 


the  positive  to  form  the  comparative,  and  est  to  form  the  superlative; 
as,  strong,  stronger,  strongest. 

Adjectives  of  more  than  one  syllable  are  usually  compared  with  the 
adverbs  more,  and  most,  or  less  and  least;  as,  beautiful,  more  beautiful, 
most  beautiful. 

EXCEPTION.— Words  of  two  syllables  that  end  injr,  re,  -w,  or  le,  or  have  the  accent 
on  the  second  syllable  are  also  compared  by  annexing  er  and  est;  as  happy-er-est,  able- 
er-est,  narrow-er-cst. 

Many  adjectives  are  irregularly  compared;  as,  good,  better,  best,  little, 
less,  least)  much,  more,  most. 

REMARK. — Square,  round,  dead,  one,  two,  three,  etc.,  universal,  American,  equal, 
and  words  of  like  import,  cannot  be  expressed  in  different  degrees,  and  will  not  admit 
of  comparison. 

Phrases  are  often  used  as  adjectives;  as,  There  is  no  place  of  safety 
for  him;  The  path  through  tJie  meadow  is  the  nearest;  The  trees  growing 
along  the  river  are  the  largest. 

Clauses  are  often  used  as  adjectives;  as,  The  lady  who  sings  so  well 
came  from  Italy. 

The  only  adjectives  that  admit  of  number  are  this,  one,  that,  and 
other,  the  plural  being  these,  ones,  those,  and  others. 

The  following  adjectives  want  the  positive:  nether,  nethermost;  under, 
undermost;  hither,  hithermost;  of  those  that  have  no  comparative:  top, 
topmost;  head,  headmost;  north,  notthmost;  southern,  southernmost. 

Either  and  neither  are  used  when  one  or  two  is  spoken  of;  2&,Neither 
James  nor  John  will  go. 

RULE  28. — A  and  an  are  different  forms  of  one.  For  the  sake  oj 
euphony,  a  is  used  before  words  commencing  with  a  consonant  sound,  and 
an  before  words  commencing  with  a  -vowel  sound;  as,  a  horse,  an  hour,  a 
man,  an  ox. 

RULE  29. — A,  an,  or  the  should  be  repeated  before  connected  nouns  denot- 
ing things  that  are  to  be  distinguished  from  each  other  or  emphasized;  as. 
There  is  a  difference  between  the  sin  and  the  sinner;  Neither  the  North 
Pole  nor; the. South  Pole  has  yet  been  reached. 

RU"LE  30. — A  few  and  a  little  should  be  used  when  opposed  to  none; 
few  when  opposed  to  many;  and  little  when  opposed  to  much;  as,  A  few 
things  and  a  little  money  were  saved  from  the  wreck.  Few  shall  part 
where  many  meet. 

RULE  31. — In  writing  select  appropriate  adjectives,  but  do  not  use  them 
unnecessarily;  avoid  repetition  and  exaggeration. 


26  GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 

EXERCISE  FOR   CORRECTION. 

It  was  splendid  fun. 

It  was  a  tremendous  dew. 

It  was  a  gorgeous  apple. 

The  arm  chair  was  roomy  and  capacious. 

It  was  a  lovely  cake,  but  I  paid  a  frightful  price  for  it 

RULE  32. — The  comparative  degree  is  used  when  two  persons  or  things 
are  spoken  of,  and  the  superlative  when  more  than  two  objects  are  com- 
pared. 

WRITTEN   EXERCISE. 

Write  the  comparison  of  the  following  adjectives:  Good,  smart,  tall, 
happy,  beautiful,  sunny,  willing,  unworthy,  pretty,  unhappy,  black,  little, 
straight,  twenty,  Samsonian,  eternal,  this,  French,  new. 

James  is  a  better  scholar  than  any  one  in  his  school.  This  sentence 
is  incorrect  because  he  is  in  the  school,  and  it  would  make  him  a  better 
scholar  than  himself.  It  should  be,  James  is  a  better  scholar  than  any 
otJier  one  in  his  school. 

Nouns  are  often  used  as  adjectives;  as,  The  day  school,  The  iron  bar, 
The  morning  sun,  Two  millions,  By  tens. 

RULE  33. — Adjectives  should  be  placed  near  the  noun  they  are  intended 
to  modify.  If  they  are  of  different  rank  place  nearest  the  noun  the  one 
more  closely  modifying  it.  If  of  the  same  rank  place  them  where  they  will 
sound  best — generally  the  longest  word  nearest  the  noun,  when  they  pre- 
ceed  it,  the  shortest  when  they  follow  it. 

RULE  34. — Adjectives,  whether  denoting  unity  or  plurality,  must  agree 
with  their  nouns  in  number;  as,  one  man,  two  men. 

REMARK. — This  rule  is  sometimes  disregarded,  as  observed  in  the  following 
exceptions:  Fifty  head  of  sheep.  Ten  sail  of  vessels. 

RULE  35. —  When  the  comparative  degree  is  used,  the  latter  term  of 
comparison  should  never  include  the  former;  as,  Grammar  is  more  bene- 
ficial than  all  the  studies,  is  not  correct;  other  should  be  used  before 
studies. 

RULE  36. —  When  the  superlative  degree  is  used  the  latter  term  of  com- 
parison should  always  include  the  former:  Penmanship,  of  all  other  qual- 
ifications, is  most  useful  to  the  book-keeper.  Incorrect.  Other  should 
be  omitted. 

RULE  37. — Adverbs  of  degree  should  not  be  used  with  adjectives  that 
will  not  admit  of  comparison;  as,  So  universal  a  custom  was  never  before 
adopted.  Should  be  so  general,  etc. 


ADVERBS.  27 


RULE  38. — In  prose,  adjectives  should  never  be  used  for  adverbs;  but 
poetical  license  allows  it  in  poetry. 

"To  thee  I  bend  the  knee; 
To  thee  ray  thoughts  continual  climb. " —  Thompson. 

EXERCISE  FOR  CORRECTION. 

A  new  bottle  of  wine.  A  fried  dish  of  bacon.  Two  grey,  fiery, 
little  eyes.  A.  dried  box  of  herring.  A  docile  and  mild  pupil.  A 
pupil  docile  and  mild.  A  prodigious  snowball  hit  my  cheek.  The  fat 
two  lazy  men.  The  day  was  delightful  and  warm.  The  truth  is  mighty 
and  will  prevail.  This  ceiling  is  ten  foot  high.  Give  me  a  ten-feet 
pole.  That  was  the  most  unkindest  cut  of  all. — Shak.  Profane 
swearing,  of  all  other  vices,  is  the  most  inexcusable.  James  was  the 
most  active  of  all  his  companions. 

NOTE. — James  could  not  be  one  of  his  own  companions. 

San  Francisco  has  a  greater  population  than  any  city  on  the  Pacific 
Coast.  Who  broke  that  tongs?  What  was  the  height  of  those  gallows 
which  Haman  erected?  Ned  and  Nelly  loved  one  another  tenderly. 
He  chose  the  latter  of  these  three.  Trisyllables  are  often  accented  on 
the  former  syllables.  Eve  was  the  fairest  of  all  her  daughters.  She 
has  a  new  elegant  house.  I  climbed  up  three  pair  of  stairs. 


ADVERBS. 

An  Adverb  is  a  part  of  speech  used  to  modify  the  meaning  of  a 
verb,  adjective,  or  other  adverb. 

There  are  adverbs  of  manner,  time,  place,  negation,  affirmation,  doubt 
degree,  cause,  quantity,  number. 

Most  adverbs  are  formed  from  adjectives  by  annexing  ly,  and  answei 
to  the  question  howl 

Those  of  place  are  known  by  answering  to  the  question  where  or 
whither.  Adverbs  of  time  answer  to  when,  etc. 

The  following  is  a  partial  list  of  adverbs:  There,  much,  yes,  yea, 
indeed,  not,  nay,  no,  amen,  may-be,  perhaps,  therefore,  why,  so,  here, 
now,  ever,  yet,  always,  when,  sometimes,  where,  yonder,  twice,  very, 
too,  seldom,  less,  least,  more,  first,  thirdly,  away,  hence,  most,  and  most 
words  ending  in  ly. 

An  Adverbial  Phrase  is  an  expression  peculiar  to  our  own  Ian 
guage  and  fills  the  office  of  an  adverb;  as,  much  as,  long  ago,  in  vain. 

Adverbs,  like  adjectives,  admit  of  comparison  although  a  large  pro 
portion  cannot  be  compared. 

.—Arnen,  yes,  and  ware  called  Independent  Adverbs. 


GRAMMAR   EXERCISES. 


RULE  39. — Adverbs  sometimes  qualify  nouns,  but  in  such  instances  it 
would  be  well  to  classify  them  as  adjectives.  The  above  remark.  This 
is  not  a  well-chosen  word;  foregoing  would  be  better. 

RULE  40. — Adverbs  ought  never  to  be  used  instead  of  adjectives;  as,  It 
seems  strangely.  Thine  often  infirmities.  Not  correct. 

The  adverb  how  is  often  incorrectly  used;  as,  She  said  how  she 
would  go. 

RULE  41. — Two  negatives  in  the  same  sentence  make  it  affirmative. 
Double  negatives  are  vulgar,  says  Goold  Brown. 

NOTE.— Ever  and  never  are  frequently  confounded  and  misapplied,  being  directly 
opposite  in  signification,  and  many  good  writers  substitute  one  word  for  the  other; 
as,  He  seldom  or  ever  goes.  It  should  be  never. 

RULE  42. — Adverbs  should  always  be  placed  in  the  most  suitable  posi- 
tion in  the  sentence,  and  in  close  proximity  to  their  modifying  words. 

EXERCISES    FOR   CORRECTION. 

The  story  will  be  never  ended.  It  is  impossible  continually  to  be  at 
work.  Give  him  a  soon  and  decisive  answer.  Where  are  they  all  rid- 
ing in  so  great  haste?  He  remarked  how  time  was  of  great  value. 
Whether  he  is  in  fault  or  no  I  cannot  tell.  I  did  not  like  neither  his 
temper  nor  his  principles.  Nothing  never  can  justify  ingratitude. 


PREPOSITIONS. 

Preposition  means  placing  before,  and  it  is  used  to  show  the  rela- 
tion of  a  noun  or  pronoun  to  some  other  word. 

NOTE  I. — The  noun  or  pronoun  that  follows  the  preposition  is  in  the  objective 
case  and  governed  by  it;  as,  Solomon  was  the  wisest  of  men. 

NOTE  2. — A  preposition  with  its  object  is  called  a  prepositional  phrase,  and  can 
modify  or  be  modified  the  same  as  an  adverb  or  adjective. 

RULE  43. — A  preposition  shows  the  relation  between  the  noun  or  pro- 
noun which  follows  it,  and  some  other  word  which  precedes  on  which  the 
clause  depends,  and  is  usually  a  verb,  participle  or  noun. 

LIST  OF   PREPOSITIONS. 

Aboard,  about,  above,  according  to,  across,  after,  against,  along, 
amid,  amidst,  among,  amongst,  as  to,  around,  round,  at,  athwart,  before, 
behind,  below,  beneath,  beside,  besides,  between,  betwixt,  beyond,  but, 
by,  concerning,  contrary  to,  down,  during,  ere,  except,  excepting,  for, 
from,  from  out,  in,  instead  of,  into,  notwithstanding,  of,  off,  on,  out  of, 
over,  past,  respecting,  save,  since,  till,  until,  to,  unto,  toward,  towards, 
through,  throughout,  under,  underneath,  up,  upon,  with,  within,  without 


CONJUNCTIONS.  29 


NOTE  i. — In  poetry  and  in  interrogative  sentences  the  preposition  often  follows 
the  noun. 

NOTE  2. — In  and  into,  while  they  may  often  be  of  like  import,  yet  express  quite  a 
different  relation.  To  walk  into  the  street  and  to  walk  in  the  street,  are  entirely 
different  in  their  meanings. 

NOTE  3. — Between  is  used  with  reference  to  two  things  or  persons;  among,  when 
jferring  to  a  great  number. 

NOTE  4. — Avoid  an  ellipsis  of  a  preposition;  it  is  far  better  to  express  them. 

NOTE  5 . — Prepositions  ought  always  be  used  in  conformity  with  the  peculiarities 
of  expression  of  our  language;  otherwise,  the  meaning  may  be  misunderstood. 

EXERCISES   FOR   CORRECTION. 

She  finds  a  difficulty  of  fixing  her  mind.  He  was  accused  for  betray- 
ing his  trust.  He  had  no  food  and  he  died  for  hunger.  I  have  no 
need  of  his  kind  favors.  You  may  depend  in  what  I  tell  you.  They 
are  gone  in  the  meadow.  This  money  should  be  divided  between  all 
four  of  them.  Two  brothers  should  never  fight  among  themselves. 
Amidst  every  difficulty  he  persevered.  I  was  living  at  San  Francisco 
when  this  accident  occurred.  John  staid  to  home.  This  originated 
from  mistake.  Be  worthy  of  me,  I  am  worthy  you. — Dryden.  Thou 
hadst  better  reside  this  side  the  bay.  Rose  and  Mary  are  always  oppo- 
site each  other. 


CONJUNCTIONS. 

Conjunctions  are  used  to  connect  words,  phrases,  clauses,  or  sen- 
tences. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  conjunctions:  And,  either— or,  neither-nor, 
therefore,  but,  hence,  if,  though,  unless,  that,  lest,  because,  for,  since. 

Conjunctions  are  all  alike  in  their  general  office,  but  each  has  a  dif- 
ferent use  and  meaning. 

And  implies  that  what  follows  is  additional  to  what  has  gone  before. 

But  implies  that  what  follows  is  opposed  to  what  has  gone  before. 

Yet  suggests  that  what  follows  is  contrary  to  what  would  be  expected 
from  that  which  has  gone  before. 

Or  shows  that  the  parts  joined  by  it  are  to  be  considered  separately. 

Nor  is  equivalent  to  and  not  and  is  usually  employed  to  prevent  the 
repetition  of  the  negative  word. 

EXERCISES    FOR    CORRECTION. 

I  feared  lest  I  should  be  left.  We  were  apprehensive  some  accident 
had  happened.  I  do  not  deny  but  he  has  merit.  Whether  he  intends 
to  do  I  cannot  tell. 


30  GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 

INTERJECTIONS. 

An  Interjection  is  an  independent  word,  such  as  O!  Alas!  or  any 
word  expressing  surprise  or  emotion,  and  is  usually  followed  by  the 
exclamation  point. 

Those  in  common  use  are,  adieu!  aha!  alas!  bravo!  fie!  fudge!  hail! 
heigh-ho!  hist!  hush!  hurrah!  O!  oh!  tut!  bang!  and  many  others. 


PUNCTUATION. 

Punctuation*  is  the  division  of  written  or  printed  matter  into  sen- 
tences, phrases,  or  clauses  by  certain  marks  called  points,  which  aid  in 
exhibiting  the  meaning  and  showing  more  clearly  the  sense  and  rela- 
tions of  the  words. 

The  following  are  those  in  general  use:  The  comma  [,],  the  semi- 
colon [;],  the  colon  [:],  the  period  [.],  the  interrogation  point  [?],  the 
exclamation  point  [!],  the  dash  [ — ],  the  curves  [()],  the  brackets  [[]], 
the  hyphen  [-],  quotation  marks  (double)  [" "],  (single)  ['  ']>  the  apos- 
trophe ['],  the  acute  accent  ['],  the  macron  [-],  the  breve  [v],  the  diaer- 
esis [  ••],  the  caret  [A],  the  section  [§],  the  paragraph  [^f],  the  star  [*], 
single  dagger  [f],  double  dagger  ({],  the  hand  (f^F"). 

There  are  but  three  principal  marks  in  ordinary  letter  writing  or 
book-keeping;  viz.,  period,  comma,  and  interrogation  point. 

The  period  must  be  placed  after  every  sentence  which  simply  affirms, 
denies,  or  commands;  after  abbreviations;  and  after  numbers  written 
in  Roman  notation. 

The  interrogation  point  is  used  when  a  question  is  asked. 

1.  The  comma  is  used  to  separate  phrases  or  clauses  not  closely  con- 
nected with  the  word  it  modifies. 

2.  When  the  connecting  word  is  omitted. 

3.  To  separate  the  subject  when  composed  of  several  nouns. 
The  other  punctuation  marks  are  colon,  semicolon,  etc. 

;  The  semicolon  denotes  a  longer  pause  than  a  comma,  and  is  used 
when  there  is  less  relation  existing. 

:  Colon  denotes  a  still  longer  pause,  and  is  used  when  there  is  less 
connection  that  at  a  semicolon. 

!  The  exclamation  point  denotes  surprise,  joy,  or  other  emotion. 
-  The  dash  denotes  emphasis,  abruptness,  or  sudden  change  of  sub- 
ject  

'Grammarians  usually  postpone  the  consideration  of  punctuation  till  near  the  end 
of  their  works,  but  the  author  introduces  it  at  this  time  that  the  student  may  be 
instructed  in  the  stops  and  marks  before  entering  upon  sentence  making. 


PUNCTUA  TION.  31 


()  Curves  or  parenthesis  are  used  to  inclose  some  explanation  that 
can  be  omitted  without  injuring  the  sense. 

[]  Brackets  are  used  to  inclose  some  correction  or  explanation 
inserted  by  another  person. 

"  "  Quotation  marks  inclose  words  taken  from  another  person. 

* '  Single  quotation  marks  inclose  a  quotation  within  a  quotation. 

'  The  apostrophe  denotes  possession  or  omission. 

-  The  hyphen  joins  parts  of  a  compound  word  and  is  placed  at  the 
end  of  a  line  when  part  of  the  word  is  carried  to  the  next  line. 

'  Accent  marks  a  stress  of  voice. 

-  Macron  marks  the  long  sound  of  a  letter. 
"Breve  marks  the  short  sound  of  a  letter. 

. .  Diaeresis  separates  two  vowels  into  two  syllables. 
A  Caret  shows  where  words  or  letters  are  to  be  inserted. 

-  The  star,  f  dagger,  or  \  double  dagger  are  used  as  marks  of  refer- 
ence to  marginal  notes.     Figures  are  also  used  for  the  same  purpose. 

^^  The  hand  is  used  to  call  special  attention  to  something. 

The  comma  is  the  shortest  pause,  and  occupies  about  the  time 
required  to  speak  a  monosyllable. 

The  semicolon  is  a  pause  double  that  of  a  comma. 

The  colon,  double  that  of  the  semicolon. 

The  period,  double  the  colon,  and  is  a  full  stop. 

The  other  stops  and  marks  vary,  and  the  pauses  are  made  in  accord- 
ance with  the  sense  and  construction  of  the  sentence,  and  may  be 
equal  to  either  of  the  foregoing. 

The  comma  is  the  most  frequently  used,  and  thereby  the  most 
important  mark  of  punctuation. 

RULE  44. — Simple  sentences  that  make  up  a  compound  sentence  are 
separated  from  each  other  by  commas. 

RULE  45. —  When  several  words  are  used  as  the  subject  of  a  sentence 
the  conjunction  should  be  omitted  and  the  comma  used,  except  between  the 
last  two,  when  the  commas  should  be  omitted  and  the  conjunction  used;  as, 
James,  John,  Susan,  Mary  and  William,  were  left. 

NOTE. — When  but  two  words  are  used  the  comma  should  be  omitted,  but  the  con- 
junction retained.  If,  however,  the  conjunction  is  understood,  the  comma  must  be 
inserted. 

RULE  46. — Nouns  in  the  independent  case  should  be  separated  by  a 
comma;  as,  "Peace,  be  still." 

RULE  47. —  Words  in  apposition  are  separated  by  a  comma. 

RULE  48. —  Words  repeated  for  the  sake  of  emphasis  are  separated  by  a 
comma;  as,  very,  very,  very  good! 


32  GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 

RULE  49. — Quotations  should  be  set  off  by  commas,  and  when  it  is  a 
complete  sentence  it  should  begin  with  a  capital;  as,  The  teacher  says, 
"  The  diligent  student  will  surely  succeed." 

RULE  50. — Adjectives  and  participles  with  tJieir  modifiers  should  be 
separated  by  commas;  as,  The  buck,  wounded  so  that  he  cannot  escape, 
often  turns  upon  the  hunter. 

RULE  51. — The  comma  is  usually  given  the  rising  inflection,  but  the 
semicolon,  colon  and  period  generally  the  falling. 

RULE  52. — The  interrogation  point  has  the  rising  inflection  when  the 
question  is  a  direct  one,  i.  e.,  a  question  that  can  be  answered  by  yes  or 
no,  but  the  falling  inflection  when  the  question  is  indirect. 

RULE  53. — The  exclamation  point  is  used  to  denote  wonder  or  emotion, 
and  its  inflection  will  depend  upon  the  contsruction  of  the  sentence. 

FOR   PUNCTUATION. 

Pope  says  The  proper  study  of  Mankind  is  Man  How  much  truth 
there  is  in  Franklins  maxim  One  today  is  worth  two  tomorrows  Where 
is  your  eye  glass  Always  show  to  the  aged  When  Socrates  was  asked 
what  man  approached  the  nearest  to  perfect  happiness  he  answered  Th- 
at man  who  has  the  fewest  wants  Phocion  one  of  the  most  illustrious 
of  the  ancient  Greeks  was  condemned  to  death  by  his  ungrateful,  cou- 
ntrymen When  about  to  drink  the  fatal  hemlock  he  was  asked  if  he 
had  anything  to  say  to  his  son  Bring  him  before  me  he  cried  My 
dear  son  said  this  Magnanimous  patriot  I  entreat  you  to  serve  your 
country  as  faithfully  as  I  have  done  and  to  forget  that  she  rewarded  my 
services  with  an  unjust  death  Know  then  this  truth  enough  for  man  to 
know  Virtue  alone  is  happiness  below — Pope 

Sitting  there  I  heard  a  cry  of  fire  I  ran  but  alas  was  too  late  I  only 
heard  these  dying  words  Save  me  save  me  or  I  perish 

FOR   CORRECTION. 

Woman  without  her  man,  would  be  a  savage. 

A  divine  once  read  from  his  pulpit  the  following  notice,  "Captain 
Smith  having  gone  to  sea  his  wife,  desires  the  prayers  of  this  congre- 
gation." 

Every  lady  in  the  land 
Has  twenty  nails  upon  each  hand; 
Five  and  twenty,  on  hands  and  feetj 
This  is  true  without  deceit. 

She  leads  without  doubt,  a  happy  life? 


REVIEW.  33 


REVIEW. 

WHAT  is  a  noun?  Into  what  two  general  classes  are  nouns  divided?  What  is  a 
common  noun?  What  is  a  proper  noun?  What  can  be  said  of  a  proper  noun  com- 
posed of  several  words?  What  other  kinds  of  nouns  are  there?  What  is  a  collective 
noun?  What  is  an  abstract  noun?  What  is  a  pronoun?  What  are  the  properties  of 
nouns  and  pronouns?  Define  person;  gender;  number;  case.  How  many  persons? 
What  are  they  called?  Define  each.  How  many  genders  do  grammarians  usually 
give?  Name  them.  How  many  genders  really  exist?  Define  each.  What  can 
you  say  of  child  and  house?  Write  gender  exercise,  see  page  IO. 

How  many  numbers?  What  are  they  called?  Define  each.  Illustrate  each. 
How  is  the  plural  generally  formed?  (see  Rule  9.)  Write  exercise  under  Rule  9. 

How  do  nouns  ending  in  s,  z,  sh,  x,  and  ch  soft  form  their  plural?  What  excep- 
tions? Write  exercise  under  Rule  10.  How  do  nouns  ending  in  y  preceded  by  a 
consonant  form  their  plurals?  How  when  preceded  by  a  vowel?  Write  exercise 
under  Rule  II.  How  do  nouns  ending  in  f  or  fe  form  their  plurals?  Write  exercise 
under  Rule  12.  Name  some  nouns  that  form  their  plurals  irregularly.  What  can  be 
said  of  the  plurals  of  proper  nouns?  Give  illustrations.  Write  exercise  under  Rule 
14.  Define  case.  How  many  cases  are  there?  What  is  the  nominative  case? 
possessive?  objective?  How  is  the  possessive  singular  formed?  How  is  the  posses- 
sive plural  formed?  How  when  the  nominative  plural  does  not  end  in  s?  Give 
illustrations.  How  do  noun- phrases  form  their  possessive  case?  In  joint  ownership 
how  is  the  possessive  case  formed?  Give  illustrations.  In  separate  ownership  how 
formed?  Give  illustrations.  How  do  nouns  that  have  only  the  singular  form  their 
possessive  plurals?  Give  illustrations.  Write  exercise  under  Rule  17,  false  syntax. 
What  exceptions  can  be  noted?  How  do  proper  nouns  form  their  possessive  plurals? 
How  is  a  noun  or  pronoun  declined?  Decline  boy,  man,  and  sheep.  Write  exercise 
forming  possessive  plural,  page  13. 

What  is  a  pronoun?  How  many  kinds  are  there?  Name  them.  What  is  a 
personal  pronoun?  interrogative?  relative?  adjective?  possessive?  compound  personal? 
Give  illustrations  of  each.  Are  there  any  other  classifications  of  pronouns?  What 
are  they?  What  is  said  of  the  declension  of  pronouns?  Decline  /,  he,  she  and  it. 
Name  the  relative  and  interrogative  pronouns.  Decline  who  and  -which.  Decline 
that  and  what.  Write  exercise  page  14  under  pronouns,  giving  person,  number, 
and  case  of  same. 

From  what  is  the  word  verb  derived?  What  is  its  meaning  and  signification?  Into 
how  many  classes  are  verbs  divided  ?  Name  them.  What  is  a  regular  verb?  How  is 
the  present  participle  formed?  How  are  the  principal  parts  of  regular  verbs  formed? 
Give  illustrations.  What  is  an  irregular  verb?  Give  illustrations.  What  is  a  redun- 
dant verb?  Give  illustrations.  What  is  a  defective  verb  ?  Give  illustrations.  Is  hear 
regular  or  irregular?  How  are  verbs  again  divided  with  regard  to  their  significations? 
What  is  an  active-transitive?  active-intransitive?  passive?  neuter?  Give  illustrations 
of  each.  How  may  a  transitive  verb  be  told?  How  many  modifications  have  verbs? 
What  are  they?  What  is  mood?  How  many  moods  are  there?  Name  them. 
Define  the  infinitive  mood;  indicative;  potential;  subjunctive;  imperative.  Give 
illustrations  in  each.  What  is  a  finite  verb?  What  is  tense?  How  many  are  there? 
Name  them.  What  does  the  present  tense  express?  past?  present  perfect?  past 
perfect?  future?  future  perfect?  Give  illustrations  in  each  tense.  What  can  be  saiw 
of  the  number  and  person  of  verbs?  (See  Rule  18.)  What  exceptions  to  the  ruler 
What  is  said  of  the  imperative  mood?  Do  the  adjuncts  of  a  number  control  its 


34  GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 

agreement?  What  is  sometimes  made  the  subject  of  a  finite  verb?  What  is  said  of 
dare  and  need? 

How  many  divisions  of  time  seem  necessary?  Write  exercise  under  false  syntax, 
page  17.  When  a  collective  noun  conveys  an  idea  of  plurality,  what  number  must 
the  verb  be?  Also,  when  conveying  the  idea  of  unity?  Write  exercise  under  Rule 
20.  When  two  or  more  singular  subjects,  meaning  different  things,  are  joined  by 
and,  what  is  the  form  of  the  verb?  What  exceptions  can  you  note?  Give  illustrations. 
Write  exercise  under  false  syntax,  page  1 8. 

What  is  the  form  of  the  verb  when  two  or  more  singular  subjects  are  joined 
by  or  or  nor?  Give  illustrations.  What  is  said  of  the  verb  when  nominatives  are  of 
different  persons?  (See  Rule  23.)  Give  illustrations.  When  phrases  are  connectet 
by  and  and  are  subjects  of  a  verb,  what  is  its  form?  (See  Rule  24.)  Give  illustra- 
tions. When  connected  by  or  or  nor,  what  form?  (See  Rule  25.)  Write  exercise 
under  Rule  25  (false  syntax).  What  is  said  of  verbs  connected  by  a  conjunction? 
Give  illustrations.  (See  Rule  26. )  Write  exercise,  false  syntax,  under  Rule  26. 
What  is  said  of  the  use  of  the  past  participle  for  the  past  tense?  (See  Rule  27.) 
Give  examples.  Write  exercise  under  Rule  27.  Give  principal  parts  of  irregular 
verb?  (See  list,  page  20.) 

What  is  an  adjective?  Into  how  many  kinds  are  they  divided?  Name  them. 
What  is  a  descriptive  adjective?  Give  examples.  Definitive?  Give  the  list.  Proper? 
Give  examples.  Compound?  Examples.  Participial?  Examples.  What  are  the 
properties  of  the  adjective?  What  is  comparison?  How  many  degrees,  and  what 
are  they?  What  does  the  positive  degree  express?  comparative?  superlative?  How 
are  adjectives  of  one  syllable  regularly  compared?  Give  examples.  Of  two  or  more 
syllables?  Give  examples.  What  exceptions?  Give  examples  of  irregular  compar- 
ison. What  is  said  of  square,  round,  dead,  etc.?  What  is  said  of  phrases  and 
clauses?  Give  examples.  What  adjectives  admit  of  number?  Give  examples  of 
adjectives  whose  positive  degree  is  wanting.  Also  those  that  have  no  comparative. 
What  is  said  of  either  and  neither?  Give  examples.  What  is  said  of  a  and  an? 
(See  Rule  28.)  When  is  a,  an,  or  the  used?  (See  Rule  29.)  Give  examples.  What 
is  said  of  few  and  little?  (See  Rule  30.)  Give  examples.  What  is  said  of  the  use 
of  adjectives  in  writing?  (See  Rule  31.)  Write  exercise  under  Rule  31.  When  is  the 
comparative  degree  used?  Write  exercise  under  Rule  32.  What  part  of  speech  is 
used  sometimes  as  an  adjective?  Give  examples.  How  should  adjectives  be  placed 
in  a  sentence?  When  should  the  latter  term  exclude  the  former?  Give  examples. 
When  should  it  include  the  former?  Give  examples.  What  should  not  be  used 
with  adjectives  that  will  not  admit  of  comparison?  (See  Rule  37.)  When  are  adjec- 
tives used  for  adverbs?  anc1  when  is  their  use  not  allowable?  Write  exercise  for  cor- 
rection. 

What  is  an  adverb?  Name  the  different  classes.  From  what  are  adverbs  usually 
formed,  and  how?  Name  the  list  of  adverbs.  How  do  adverbs  generally  end  ? 
What  is  an  adverbial  phrase?  Are  adverbs  compared?  Name  some  independent 
adverbs.  Do  adverbs  qualify  nouns?  What  ought  they  then  to  be  called?  Give 
examples.  Ought  adverbs  to  be  used  instead  of  adjectives?  (See  Rule  40.)  What 
is  said  of  the  adverb  houu?  What  is  said  of  two  negatives  in  one  sentence  ?  What  is 
said  of  ever  and  never?  Where  should  adverbs  always  be  placed  in  a  sentence? 
Write  exercise  for  correction,  Rule  42. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  preposition?  For  what  is  it  used?  What  always  follows 
a  preposition?  What  is  a  preposition  with  its  object  called?  Give  the  list  of 
prepositions.  How  are  prepositions  placed  in  interrogative  sentences?  What  is 


COMPOSITION.  35 


said  of  in  and  into?  Give  examples.  Between  and  among?  What  should  be  avoided 
in  prepositions?  How  should  they  be  used?  Write  exercise  for  correction.  For 
what  are  conjunctions  used?  Repeat  the  list.  What  does  and  imply?  but?  yet?  or? 
nor?  Write  exercise  for  correction.  What  is  an  interjection?  What  are  those  in 
common  use? 

What  is  punctuation?  What  stops  and  marks  in  general  use?  What  three  marks  in 
ordinary  use  in  letter- writing  and  book-keeping?  When  is  the  period  used?  When  the 
interrogation  point?  For  what  is  the  comma  used?  What  does  the  semicolon  denote? 
colon?  exclamation  point?  dash?  curves  or  parentheses?  brackets?  quotation 
marks  (double),  (single)?  the  hyphen?  apostrophe?  accent?  macron?  breve?  diaeresis? 
caret?  the  star,  dagger  or  double  dagger?  the  hand?  Which  is  the  shortest  of  all  the 
pauses?  What  length  of  time  should  the  comma  occupy  as  a  pause?  semicolon?  colon? 
period?  What  is  said  of  the  other  stops  and  marks?  Which  is  the  most  important 
mark?  How  are  commas  used  in  sentences?  (See  Rule  44.)  When  should  a  comma 
be  omitted  and  a  conjunction  be  used?  (See  Rule  45.)  Give  examples.  What  is 
said  of  the  use  of  the  comma  when  the  conjunction  is  understood?  What  use  is 
made  of  the  comma  in  the  independent  case?  When  words  are  in  apposition?  When 
words  are  repeated  for  the  sake  of  emphasis?  When  in  quotations?  Of  adjectives 
and  participles  with  their  modifiers?  What  inflection  is  usually  given  at  the  comma  ? 
semicolon?  colon?  period?  interrogation  point?  exclamation  point?  What  is  a  direct 
question?  indirect?  Define  the  exclamation  point  and  tell  its  use.  Punctuate  and 
correct  exercise  on  page  32. 


COMPOSITION.* 

THE  writing  of  compositions  in  a  school  is  one  of  the  most  important 
duties  required  of  the  student,  and  should  in  some  form  or  other  be  a 
daily  exercise  of  every  institution  of  learning.  In  writing  compositions 
the  student  is  taught  penmanship,  punctuation,  spelling,  grammar,  and 
the  use  of  capital  letters,  together  with  a  knowledge  of  how  to  talk,  for 
good  writers  are  easy  and  fluent  speakers.  No  one  can  speak  properly 
that  has  not  first  been  taught  to  write  in  full  accord  with  the  rules  of 
grammar.  While  too  much  stress  cannot  be  laid  upon  the  importance 
of  good  penmanship,  it  is  infinitely  of  more  consequence  that  the 
student  should  spell  his  words  rightly.  However  beautifully  and  grace- 
fully the  curve,  angle,  and  form  of  a  letter  may  be  constructed,  its 
beauty  and  grace  are  often  hidden  from  view  by  a  misspelled  word. 
Not  only  is  it  important  to  spell  correctly  and  punctuate  properly,  but 
the  style  of  composition,  the  mode  of  expression,  and  the  language  used 
are  of  the  utmost  importance  to  a  ready  writer  or  good  speaker.  The 
great  variety  of  words  with  which  the  English  language  is  endowed 
makes  it  easy  for  the  diligent  student  to  acquire  a  habit  of  writing,  but 
the  expression  of  his  ideas  should  be  condensed  into  the  smallest  pos- 

*The  author  calls  attention  to  J.  Willis  Westlake's  Three  Thousand  Practice 
Words  from  which  he  has  taken  valuable  suggestions  on  this  and  other  subjects  in 
this  work. 


GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 


sible  space.  The  object  of  every  writer  should  be  to  advance  new 
ideas,  give  birth  to  new  thoughts,  and  to  express  them  in  the  fewest 
possible  words.  It  is  far  easier  to  write  a  long  letter  to  communicate 
a  few  thoughts  than  a  short  one  to  convey  many.  Those  poets  whose 
names  have  been  handed  down  to  immortality  are  noted  for  terseness 
and  for  so  clothing  their  subjects  in  words  that  the  meaning  is  carried 
beyond  the  language  used  to  convey  the  thought. 

In  composition,  first,  Never  use  one  word  that  might  be  left  out  with- 
out injury  to  the  sense. 

Second — Too  many  subjects  in  one  sentence  will  confuse  the  sense. 

Third — Use  short  sentences — they  are  better  than  long  ones. 

Fourth — Make  use  of  such  words  as  your  readers  will  readily  under- 
stand. 

PREPARATION   OF   COMPOSITIONS. 

Compositions  that  are  to  be  handed  to  a  teacher  for  correction  should 
be  prepared  as  follows : — 

DIRECTIONS. 

1.  PAPER. — Use  the  regular  essay  paper,  called  examination  paper. 
Write  only  on  one  side. 

2.  HEADING. — The  subject  should  be  written  on  the  middle  of  the 
first  line.    Every  important  word  in  a  title  or  heading  should  begin  with 
a  capital.     A  blank  line  should  be  left  between  the  heading  and  the 
composition,  unless  the  heading  is  short  or  the  lines  far  apart. 

3.  MARGIN. — Leave  a  margin  of  half  an  inch  on  the  left-hand  side  of 
every  page.     This  direction  applies  also  to  letters,  varying  the  width  of 
the  margin  according  to  the  width  of  the  paper. 

4.  PARAGRAPHS. — Indent  the  first  and  every  succeeding  paragraph 
one  inch  ;  t.  <?.,  begin  the  first  line  of  each  paragraph  one  inch  farther  to 
the  right  than  the  other  lines. 

5.  SIGNATURE. — The  signature  should  be  written  on  the  next  line 
below  the  close  of  the  essay,  near  the  right-hand  edge. 

6.  PLACE  AND  DATE. — Write  the  name  of  the  place  and  the  date  on 
the  next  line  below  the  signature,  near  the  left-hand  edge. 

7.  FOLDING. — Fold  parallel  with  the  ruled  lines,  so  that  the  width 
when  folded  shall  be  one-fourth  the  length  of  the  sheet 

8.  ENDORSEMENT. — Write  the  name  across  the  upper  end,  on  -the 
centre  fold,  one  inch  from  the  top.     (The  upper  end  is  formed  by  the 
back  or  original  fold  of  the  sheet.     It  is  at  the  left  hand  of  the  first 
page.)     Write  the  subject  half  an  inch  below  the  name,  and  the  date 
half  an  inch  below  the  subject. 


FIGURES  OF  SPEECH.  37 

CORRECTION    OF   COMPOSITIONS. 

Writ  ten  exercises  must  be  corrected ;  if  not,  but  little  improvement 
•will  be  made.  It  is  an  excellent  plan  for  pupils  to  criticise  one  another's 
compositions;  each  will  receive  from  this  practice  a  double  benefit. 
Then  let  the  teacher  correct  them,  drawing  a  line  under  each  mistake, 
indicating  the  nature  of  it  below,  or  in  some  way  by  signs  agreed  upon. 
Those  compositions  that  fall  below  a  certain  standard  should  be  rewrit- 
ten by  the  pupil  and  handed  to  the  teacher  with  the  old  exercise,  the 
latter  serving  as  a  proof-sheet  with  which  to  compare  the  other.  The 
teacher  should  not,  however,  criticise  the  beginner  too  severely,  as  by 
doing  so  he  discourages  him.  General  criticisms  may  be  written  at 
the  bottom  of  the  composition. 

Teachers  cannot  be  too  careful  about  the  observance  of  the  foregoing 
directions,  as  it  is  important  that  pupils  should  form  habits  of  order  and 
neatness,  and  learn  the  method  of  writing,  folding  and  endorsing 
papers  that  is  everywhere  used  in  business. 


FIGURES   OF    SPEECH. 

Hyperbole  is  to  magnify  things  beyond  a  proper  limit;  as, 

"The  brightness  of  her  cheek  would  shame  those  stars, 
As  daylight  doth  a  lamp." — Shakspeare. 

Personification  is  "that  rhetorical  figure  which  attributes  sex,  life  or 
action  to  inanimate  objects,  or  ascribes  to  objects  and  brutes  the  act  and 
qualities  of  rational  beings." 

' '  Thou  glorious  mirror  where  the  Almighty's  form  glasses  itself  in  tempests. " — 
Byron's  Ode  to  the  Ocean. 

Simile.  In  rhetoric  a  direct  and  formal  comparison  is  called  a 
simile.  It  is  generally  denoted  by  like,  as  or  so.  "  Her  cheeks  were 
like  the  rose." 

Metaphor.  An  implied  comparison  is  called  a  metaphor.  It  is  a 
more  terse  form  of  expression  than  the  simile  in  being  expressed  without 
any  sign  of  comparison.  The  emerald  grass  is  a  metaphor;  the  grass 
was  as  green  as  emerald  is  a  simile. 

Irony.  The  mode  of  speech  in  which  what  is  meant  is  contrary  to 
the  literal  meaning  of  the  words,  in  which  praise  is  bestowed  when  cen- 
sure is  intended,  is  called  irony;  as  witness  Cassius'  speech  on  Caesar: — 

"And  this  man  is  now  become  a  god  ; 

And  Cassius  is  a  wretched  creature,  and  must  bend  his  body, 
If  Caesar  carelessly  but  nod  on  him."—  Shakspeare. 

Ellipsis  is  the  omission  of  words.     The  evening  and  (the)  morning 


SS  GRAMMAR   EXERCISES. 

were  the  first  day.     Bring  (to)  me  your  book.     I  knew  (that)  he  would 
come.     Few  men  are  as  gentle  as  he  (is  gentle). 

Apostrophe  is  a  sudden  turning  away  in  the  fullness  of  emotion  to 
address  some  person  or  object;  as, 

"  Roll  on,  ye  stars  ;  exult  in  youthful  prime; 
Mark  with  bright  curves  the  printless  steps  of  time."— Erasmus  Darwin. 

Pleonasm  is  the  use  of  more  words  than  the  sense  or  the  syntax 
absolutely  requires.  Either  the  same  word  is  repeated  or  an  equivalent 
expression  is  used ;  as,  I  saw  her  pass,  with  my  own  eyes.  I,  myself, 
explained  the  matter  to  him.  O  Absalom,  Absalom!  my  son,  my  son! 

Elision  is  the  shortening  of  words  by  dropping  a  letter  or  a  syllable. 
This  is  mostly  done  by  poets ;  as,  e'er  for  ever,  morn  for  morning,  eve 
for  evening,  fount  for  fountain,  plaint  for  complaint. 

Axiom.  An  axiom  is  a  self-evident  and  necessary  truth;  as,  The 
whole  is  greater  than  a  part.  Two  and  two  make  four.  A  thing  cannot, 
at  the  same  time,  be,  and  not  be. 

Adage.  An  adage  is  a  saying  handed  down  from  antiquity;  an  old 
saying  which  has  obtained  credit  by  long  use ;  as,  He  who  proves  too 
much  proves  nothing. 

Maxim.  A  maxim  is  a  condensed  proposition  of  practical  truth; 
as,  "Honesty  is  the  best  policy."  "Love  is  love's  reward." — Dry  den. 

Proverb.  A  proverb  is  an  old  and  common  saying,  a  phrase  often 
repeated;  as,  "All's  well  that  ends  well."  "All  is  not  gold  that  glitters." 
"The  end  crowns  the  means."  "Out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the 
mouth  speaketh." 

Interrogation.  Interrogation  is  used  to  add  force  to  a  saying  by 
means  of  a  question;  as,  Would  any  man  dare  call  him  coward?  /".  e., 
No  one  would  dare  call  him  coward.  Will  the  flowers  not  fade  and 
the  grass  wither  ?  *.  £.,  The  flowers  will  fade  and  the  grass  wither. 

Exclamation.  Exclamation  expresses  emphasis  by  means  of  an 
exclamation;  as,  How  delicious  are  the  first  strawberries!  /.  e.t  The  fast 
strawberries  are  delicious.  How  few  men  are  happy ! 


MISPRONUNCIATION. 

THE  mispronunciation  of  words  is  of  so  frequent  occurrence  that  the 
author  deems  it  important  to  devote  some  space  to  the  subject,  hoping 
thereby  to  contribute  in  some  degree  towards  its  correction.  Our  best 
speakers  are  somewhat  at  variance  in  pronouncing  many  words,  hence 
not  a  little  discord  arises,  thereby  making  the  accomplishment  of  a  har- 


MIS  PR  ONUNCIA  TION.  39 

monious  system  quite  difficult.  Another  obstacle  is  that  our  lexicog- 
raphers allow  more  than  one  pronunciation  to  many  words.  While  it 
is  not  expected  that  perfection  will  be  reached  under  these  adverse 
circumstances,  yet  a  careful  study  of  the  subjoined  words,  which  have 
been  collated  from  those  in  frequent  use,  will  render  much  assistance 
to  the  student  towards  rectifying  our  present  system  of  faulty  pronuncia- 
tion. He  who  faithfully  studies  these  pages  will  be  surprised  to  learn 
how  little  he  knows  of  the  pronunciation  of  his  own  language,  so  com- 
mon, are  these  errors  in  every  class  of  society.  Patience  and  persever- 
ance only  will  insure  success  in  this  as  in  every  other  pursuit. 

There  are  many  people  who  do  not  seem  capable  of  pronouncing  the 
first  sound  of  u  after  certain  consonants.  They  will  say  dooty  for  duty, 
toon  for  tune,  noo  for  new,  soot  for  suit,  Toosday  for  Tuesday,  institoot 
for  institute.  Yet  these  same  blunderers  can  pronounce  correctly 
music,  muse,  etc.  Others  there  be  who  invariably  drop  the  g  in  such 
words  as  end  in  ing,  as  gain'  for  going,  comin'  for  coming,  leavirf  for 
leaving.  Then  many  leave  out  the  g  in  such  words  as  length;  lenth  is 
their  substitute;  strength  being  pronounced  strenth.  Another  common 
error  is  substituting  er  for  ow  in  such  words  as  widow,  pillow  window, 
they  being  pronounced  ivinder,  piller  and  widder.  Even  educated  peo- 
ple make  the  error  of  using  the  word  ways  instead  of  way,  as,  He  went 
a  long  ways,  a  little  ways,  instead  of,  He  went  a  long  way,  a  little  way. 
Others  must  put  an  r  to  such  words  as  idea,  pronouncing  it  as  though 
spelled  idear,  or  even  saying  sor  instead  of  saw.  Others  interlard  all 
sentences  with  says  I  or  you  know.  And  some  say  everywheres, 
nowheres,  somewheres,  anywheres,  instead  of  everywhere,  nowhere,  some- 
where, anywhere.  It  is  easier  and  more  elegant  to  say  much  than  a 
great  deal.  There  are  some  who  in  words  like  violet  transpose  the 
letters,  calling  it  voilet.  The  same  class  pronounce  lilac,  layloc. 

It  is  as  easy  to  pronounce  such  words  as  California,  America,  cor- 
rectly as  to  pronounce  them  Californy,  Ameriky.  Abdo'-men,  not 
ab'-domen;  ab'-ject,  abject';  a-cross',  not  a-krawst';  ad'-mi-ral-ty,  not 
ad-mi-ral'-ty;  ad'-ver-tise  and  ad-ver'-tise-ment;  a-gain,  a-gen,  not  a-gane; 
al-ge-bra  as  though  spelled  al-ge-brah,  not  al-ge-bray;  al-mond,  pro- 
nounced ah-mond;  a-me'-na-ble,  not  a-men'-a-ble;  an-ni'-hi-late,  not 
an-ni-late;  annunciate,  an-nun'-she-ate;  an-tip'-o-des,  not  an'-ti-podz; 
appreciation,  ap-pre-she-a'-shun;  a'-pri-cot,  not  ap'-ri-cot;  Ar'-ab,  not  a'-rab; 
Asia,  a'-she-a,  not  a'-zha;  A-she-atic;  as'-sets,  not  as-sets';  associate, 
as-so-she-ate;  ate,  imperfect  of  eat,  not  et;  aw'-ful,  aw'-fl;  aye,  meaning 
always,  a;  ay,  meaning  yes,  i;  Be-el'-ze-bub,  not  bel'-ze-bub;  bedstead, 
bed'-sted,  not  bed'-stid;  Beethoven,  ba'-to-fen;  be-g<5ne,  not  be-gaun; 
bellows,  bell'-us;  be-neath*,  not  be-neath';  be-queath^  not  be-queath; 


40  GRAMMAR   EXERCISES. 

Bis'-marck,  not  biz'-marck;  bombast,  bum'bast;  bombazine,  bumba- 
zine;  bouquet,  boo'kay,  not  bokay;  bron-chi'-tis,  not  bron-ke-tis; 
Brougham,  broo'-am;  cal-lig'-ra-phy,  not  cal-li-gra'phy;  ca-nine',  not 
ca'-nine;  cas'-si-mere,  not  kaz'-mere;  catch,  not  ketch;  cay'-enne,  not 
ki-en;  cem'-e-ter-y,  cem'-e-try;  cham'-ois,  not  sham'-wa;  chest- 
nut, not  ches'-nut;  Chinese',  chi-neze,  not  chi-nese';  chiropodist, 
ki-rop'-o-dist;  chiv'-al-ric,  not  chiv-al'-ric;  clan-des'-tine,  not  clan-des-tine' ; 
co-ad-ju'-tor,  not  co-ad'-ju-tor;  coffee,  kof'fe,  not  kauf'fe;  coffin,  not 
kauf'n;  cognac,  k5n-yak,  not  ko'-ni-ak;  cog-no'-men,  not  cog'-no-men; 
col-os-se'-um,  not  col-os'-se-um ;  column,  kol'-um,  not  kol'-yum;  col-b.'- 
tion,  not  co'-la-tion;  comely,  kum'-ly,  not  kom'-ly;  comptroller,  kon- 
trol'ler;  con-do'-lence,  not  con'-do-lence ;  conscientious,  con-she-en'-shus ; 
con-sid'-er-a-ble,  not  con-sid'-ra-ble ;  con'-tu-me-ly,  not  con-tu'-me-ly; 
cor'-al,  not  co'-ral;  courteous,  kur'-te-us;  courtier,  kort'-yer;cov'-er-let,  not 
cov'-er-lid;  cov'-et-ous,  not  cov'-et-chus ;  cran-ber-ry,  not  cram'-ber-ry; 
creek,  not  krik;  crem'-a-to-ry;  Cromwell,  krum'-well;  cru'el,  not  cru'il; 
cynosure,  si'-no-shur;  daub,  not  dob;  daunt,  not  downt;  deaf,  def,  not 
deef;  de-co'-rous,  not  dec'-o-rous ;  def'-i-cit,  not  de-fic'-it;  des'-ig-nate,  not 
dez'-ig-nate ;  de-sist',  notde-zist;  des'-pi-ca-ble,  not  des-pic'-a-ble;  disarm, 
diz-arm,  not  dis;  disaster,  diz-as'ter;  discern,  diz-zern;  disdain,  diz-dain; 
dis-ease,  diz-ease;  dishevelled,  di-shev'ld;  dis-hon'or,  diz-hon'or;  disown, 
diz-own';  dis'-pu-tant,  not  dis-pu'-tant;  Disraeli,  diz-ra'-el-e' ;  di-van'; 
docile,  dos-il,  not  do-sile;  dog,  not  daug:  ef-fu'-sive,  not  ef-fu'-zive;  elm, 
not  el'-um;  e-ner'-vate,  not  en'-er-vate;  equation,  e-qua'-shun,  not  e-qua'- 
zhun;  e'-qui-nox,  not  eq'-ui-nox ;  erysipelas,  er-e-sip'-e-las,  notir-e-sip'-e-las; 
e-va'-sive,  not  e-va-ziv;  ex-cur '-sion,  not  ex-cur-zhun;  exhaust,  eggz-hausl, 
not  ex-aust;  ex-hib'-it,  egsib'it,  not  ex-hib'-it;  exile,  eks'-ile,  not  egs'- 
ile;  ex'-it,  not  egs'-it;  ex'-quis-ite,  not  ex-quis'-ite;  falcon,  fau'kn,  not 
fal'kn;  fau'cet,  not  fas'set;  fa'-vor-fte,  not  fa'-vor-ite;  fer-tlle,  not  fer-tlle; 
figure,  fig'-yur,  not  fig'-er;  filial,  fil'yal;  film,  not  fil'-um;  fi-nance, 
not  fl-nance;  fln-an-cier;  flacsid,  flak'sid,  not  flas-cid;  forbade,  for-bad'j 
forehead,  fored;  for-get',  not  for-git';  fran'chise,  fran'-chlz,  not  fran'- 
chlze;  gallows,  gallus;  gas,  not  gaz;  gas'-e-ous;  gaz'-e-ous;  gas-om'-e-ter, 
gaz-om'-e-ter;  glacial,  gla'-she-al;  glacier,  glas'-e-er;  God,  not  Gaud; 
gooseberry,  gooz-berry;  gos-pel,  not  gaus'-pel;  grease  (noun),  gres; 
grease  (verb),  greze;  greasy,  greazy;  gum-ar'abic,  not  gum-a-ra'bik; 
gums,  gumz,  not  goomz;  halibut,  hol'-e-but;  helm,  not  hel'-um; 
Hem'ans,  not  he'mans;  herb,  erb;  hiccough,  hik'-kup;  holly-hock,  not 
h51'ly-hauk:  hom'-age,  not  om'-age;  hon'-est,  on'-est,  not  on'-ist;  ho-ri'- 
zon,  not  hor'-i-zon ;  horse-rad'-ish,  not  horse-red'-ish ;  hos'-pi-ta-ble,  not 
hos-pit'-able;  hostler,  ostler;  hy-me-ne'-al,  not  hy-me'-ne-al;  hypocrisy, 
he-pock'-re-se,  not  hi;  il-lu'-sive,  not  il-lu'-zive;  il-lus'-trate,  not  il'-lus- 


MISPRONUNCIA  TION.  41 

trate;  im-me'-di-ate,  not  im-me'-jet;  im-por-tune',  not  im-por'-tune;  in-ci- 
sive,  not  in-ci-zive;  in-clu-sive,  not  in-clu-zive;  in-com'-pa-ra-ble,  not 
in-com-par'-a-ble;  in-cur-sion,  in-kur-shun,  not  in-kur-zhun;  in-de-cor'-ous, 
not  in-dec'-o-rous;  in-dis'-pu-ta-ble,  not  in-dis-pu'-ta-ble;  indocile, 
in-dos'-il;  in'-dus-try,  not  in-dus'-try;  in-ex'-pli-ca-ble,  not  in-ex-plic'-able; 
in-ex'-tric-a-ble;  Ingelow,  In-je-low;  inofficial,  in-of-fish'-al,  not  in-o- 
fish-al;  in-qui'-ry,  not  in'-qni-ry;  insatiable,  in-sa'-she'-a-ble,  not  in-sa- 
sha-ble;  in'-sects,  not  in-sex;  in-stead',  not  in-stid;  in'-ter-est-ed,  not 
in-ter-est'-ed;  in-ter-est-ing;  in-ter-loc'-u-tor,  not  in-ter-lo-cu'-tor;  in'-ven- 
to-ry,  not  in-vent'-o-ry;  iron,  i-urn;  irony,  i-runy;  ir-ref'-ra-ga-ble,  not 
ir-re-frag'-a-ble;  ir-rep'-a-ra-ble,  not  ir-re-par'-a-ble;  ir-rev'-o-ca-ble,  not 
ir-ri-vo'-ca-ble;  It-al-i-an,  not  I-tal-i-an;  juc'-und,  not  jo'-cund ;  ju'-gu-lar, 
not  jug'-u-lar;  ju've-nile,  ju'-ve-nfl;  ket'-tle,  not  kit' -tie;  kiln,  kil,  not 
kiln;  lam'-ent-a-ble,  not  la-ment'-a-ble;  leisure,  le'-zhur,  not  lez'zhur; 
le'-ni-ent,  not  len'-i-ent;  le-thar'-gic,  not  leth'-ar-gic;  lettuce,  lettis ;  lev'- 
er-age,  not  le'-ver-age;  lic'-or-ice,  not  lic-er-ish;  long-lived,  not  long-livd; 
ly-ce'-um,  not  li'-ce-um;  mag-no'-li-a,  not  mag-nol-ya;  main'-ten-ance, 
not  main-tan'-ans;  mal-e-fac'-tor,  not  mal'-e-fac-tor;  ma-ni-ac-al,  not 
ma-ni-ac'-al ;  mar'-ket,  not  mar'-kit;  massacre,  mas'-sa-ker,  not  mas-sa- 
crey;  mat'-in  not  ma'-tin;  ma'-tron,  not  mat'-ron;  mat'-tress,  not  mat- 
trass',  mis'-an-thrope,  not  miz'-an-thrope;  mis'-chief-ous,  not  mis-chief  - 
ous;  mistletoe,  miz-zle-to;  mod'-est,  not  mod'-ist;  mongrel,  mung-grel; 
mon'-o-gram,  not  mo'-no-gram;  mountain,  moun-tin,  not  mounting; 
mu-nic'-i-pal,  not  mu-ni-cip'-al;  mush'-room,  not  mush'-roon;  nape,  not 
nap;  national,  nash'-un-al,  not  na'-shun-al;  nausea,  naw-she-a;  near'-est, 
not  near'-ist;  nom'-ad,  not  no-mad;  no'-men-cla-ture,  not  nom'-en-cla- 
ture;  nom'-i-na-tive,  not  nom'-na-tive;  nothing,  nuthing;  nuptial,  nup'- 
shal;  ob'-so-lete,  not  ob-so-lete';  often,  offen,  not  often;  o'-gle,  not 
og'-le;  o-le-o-mar'-go-rine,  not  o-le-o-mar-ja-rine ;  on'-er-ous,  not  o'-ner- 
ous;  o'-nyx,  not  on'-yx;  pageant,  pag'-ent,  not  pa-jent;  pa'-thos,  not 
path'-os;  pe'-o-ny,  not  pi-ny;  Persi',  per-she-a;  phaeton,  fa'-e-ton;  phos'- 
phorus;  pied,  pide;  pin'-cers,  not  pin'-chers;  plait,  not  plete;  plat'- 
i-na,  not  pla-ti'-na;  poignant,  poin'-ant;  polonaise,  pol'-o-naze,  not  po'-lo- 
naze;  po'-ten-tate,  not  pot'-en-tate;  pred-e-ces'-sor,  not  pre'-de-ces-sor; 
pref'-er-a-ble,  notpre-fer'-a-ble;pre-tence',  not  pre'-tence;  pret-ty,  prit'-ty, 
not  pret'-ty;  prin'-cess,  not  prin-cess';  prob'-i-ty,  not  pro'-bi-ty;  prog'- 
ress,  not  pro'-gress;  pumpkin,  not  punkin;  rad-ish,  not  red-ish;  rational, 
rash'-un-al,  not  ra'-shun-al;  ro-mance,'  not  ro'-mance;  sac'-ra-ment,  not 
sa'-cra-ment;  says,  sez,  not  says;  sol'-e-cism,  not  so'-le-cism;  soot,  not 
sut;  sur-prise',  not  sup-prise';  ti'-ny,  not  tin'-y;  tortoise,  tor'-tis  or  tor-ty; 
toward,  to'-ard,  not  to-ward;  vivacious,  vi-va'-shus,  not  vi-vashus;  ycleped, 
I-khpt. 


42  GRAMMAR   EXERCISES. 

MISUSED  WORDS. 

THE  misuse  of  words  in  talking  comes  largely  from  a  habit  instilled 
in  early  youth.  The  associates  of  childhood,  especially  among  our 
more  wealthy  families,  are  generally  hired  servants  and  ignorant  nurses. 
to  whose  care  the  earlier  years  of  children  are  intrusted — at  that  time 
when  habits  are  first  dawning  upon  their  tender  minds — at  that  period 
of  life  when  impressions  have  a  lasting  influence,  for, 
"Just  as  the  twig  is  bent  the  tree's  inclined." 

It  was  the  author's  privilege  to  sojourn  for  a  series  of  years  in  the 
South,  during  the  palmiest  days  of  slavery,  and  he  then  observed  that 
the  colored  servants  and  nurses  taught  the  young,  implanted  in  the 
white  race  the  first  principles  of  our  language.  As  it  is  more  difficult  to 
unlearn  than  to  learn,  so  many  people  carried  with  them  through  life  the 
expressions  peculiar  to  the  negro  race. 

There  are  many  educated  people  who  never  write  an  ungrammatical 
sentence,  yet  scarcely  speak  a  grammatical  one.  It  is  only  by  deter- 
mined will  and  great  effort  that  such  errors  can  be  corrected,  and  the 
author  purposes  to  introduce  a  somewhat  extended  list  of  popular 
errors,  hoping  thereby  to  direct  the  student's  thoughts  in  a  practical 
manner  to  the  misuse  of  words. 

Extravagant  language  should  be  avoided.  Our  language  is  so  rich  in 
adjectives  and  adverbs  that  we  are  apt  to  abuse  their  use.  Too  many 
weaken  rather  than  strengthen  an  idea,  yet  a  judicious  use  of  them 
adds  to  the  beauty  of  writing  and  speaking.  Therefore  avoid  all  such 
expressions  as  awful  little,  terribly  glad,  mighty  small,  great,  big,  fearful- 
looking.  Neither  is  it  necessary  to  say,  very  glad,  rery  sorry,  very 
small,  very  angry,  when  the  idea  would  be  as  well  or  better  conveyed 
without  the  use  of  very.  Many  even  say  very,  very  pretty,  very,  very 
glad  It  is  a  perfectly  beautiful  day.  A  beautiful,  or  better  still,  a  fine 
day,  is  sufficient.  The  adjective  splendid  is  much  abused.  This  word 
seems  to  be  a  great  favorite  with  women  and  particularly  school-girls : 
everything  is  splendid  or  horrible.  The  day  is  splendid,  the  dinner  is 
splendid,  the  girl  is  splendid.  In  fact  all  things  important  or  unimpor- 
tant are  splendid,  or  the  reverse,  horrible.  If  the  word  were  to  be 
dropped  from  conversation  altogether,  the  language  would  not  suffer. 
Awful  is  another  abused  word.  It  is  constantly  on  the  lips  of  the  class 
who  love  the  word  splendid.  Its  use  should  be  restricted  to  its  proper 
meaning,  which  is,  something  that  insj  ires  awe.  One  adjective  is  gen- 
erally enough  to  qualify  an  ordinary  word  as,  He  is  a  pretty  boy,  is 
better  than,  He  is  an  awful  pretty  boy,  or  than,  He  is  perfectly  splendid, 
meaning,  He  is  agreeable.  Adverbs  are,  however,  more  abused  in  this 


MISUSED    WORDS.  43 


sense  than  adjectives.  It  is  the  adverb  which  is  generally  placed  before 
all  or  most  qualifying  adjectives,  as  in  the  sentence  last  given,  the  use 
of  very.  She  is  just  too  awfully  sweet,  etc.  If  those  persons  who  make 
such  a  misuse  of  adjectives  and  adverbs  could  realize  how  puerile  and 
weak  their  sentences  sound  to  discriminating  hearers,  they  would  cease 
to  talk,  or  break  themselves  of  this  habit.  Such  extravagant  expressions 
convey  to  an  intelligent  listener  the  idea  that  the  speaker  is  striving  to 
uphold  or  maintain  a  false  position,  and  is  endeavoring  to  compensate 
in  words  for  what  his  equivocal  assertion  lacks  in  veracity. 

Accept,  except.  Accept  my  thanks.  All  the  books  are  sold  except 
this  one.  Correspondence,  correspondents.  He  has  an  extensive  cor- 
respondence. Some  of  his  correspondents  write  long  letters.  Decease, 
disease.  His  decease  (death)  was  caused  by  a  lingering  disease.  Desert, 
dessert.  Never  desert  a  true  friend.  We  had  fruit  for  dessert.  Ingen- 
ious, ingenuous.  John  is  an  ingenious  and  skillful  mechanic.  Fannie 
has  an  ingenuous  disposition.  Patience,  patients.  Have  patience.  The 
doctor  has  but  few  patients.  Loose,  Lose.  If  the  horse's  shoe  is  loose 
he  will  lose  it.  Luxuriant,  luxurious.  The  vegetation  is  luxuriant. 
Luxurious  living  is  injurious  to  the  health.  Venal,  venial.  A  venal 
officer  is  a  corrupt  one.  A  venial  offense  is  one  that  may  be  excused 
Subtile,  subtle.  A  subtile  vapor  is  thin.  A  subtle  foe  is  a  cunning  01 
designing  one.  Respectively,  respectfully.  Ned  and  Dot  are  aged 
respectively  eight  and  ten  years.  Yours  respectfully. 

To  this  list  may  be  added  words  having  the  same  sound,  but  of  an 
altogether  different  meaning  and  orthography;  as,  The  heir  to  the  estate 
said :  "E'er  I  return  the  air  will  be  laden  with  winter's  frost."  All  shoe- 
makers have  an  awl.  They  must  alter  the  altar  of  the  church.  Her 
aunt  screamed  at  sight  of  an  ant.  She  ate  her  breakfast  at  eight  o'clock. 
He  brews  vile  beer.  The  man  lay  on  his  bier.  His  birth  took  place 
in  a  ship's  berth.  How  small  these  berries  are.  He  buries  many  men. 
A  Briton  is  a  native  of  Britain.  She  knows  her  lesson.  Objects  lessen 
as  we  recede  from  them.  The  winds  blew  the  clouds  across  the  blue 
sky.  Colonel  Brown  was  a  member  of  the  Sixth  Corps.  The  apple  is 
rotten  at  the  core.  He  swallowed  a  kernel  of  wheat.  The  Capitol  at 
Washington  is  the  finest  building  in  the  capital.  She  was  sealing  her  letter. 
The  ceiling  is  white.  The  seller  of  wine  has  a  cellar  for  wine.  The  scent 
which  he  sent  his  sweetheart  was  not  good.  She  sang  in  the  choir.  The 
paper  is  twenty  cents  a  quire.  It  is  a  good  site  for  a  town,  as  it  is  in 
sight  of  the  lake.  He  will  cite  a  passage  from  Shakspeare.  Mr  Wright 
will  write  his  letter  right  after  the  marriage  rite.  The  currants  are  float- 
ing down  the  current  of  the  stream.  We  knead  dough  to  make  the  bread 
we  need.  4  The  hunter  shot  the  doe.  Exercise  will  exorcist  the  spirit 


44  GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 

of  melancholy.  She  will  faint  unless  you  make  a  feint  of  leaving  her. 
I  would  fain  go  home,  but  would  not  feign  homesickness.  No,  I 
do  not  know  the  man.  The  day  is  fair.  The  fare  has  been  in- 
creased. The  fore  feet  of  the  horse  are  unsound.  The  elephant 
has  four  feet.  He  performed  a  wonderful  feat.  He  killed  the  fowl 
by  foul  means.  Jane  walked  with  an  awkward  gait  through  the  gate. 
The  great  dog  lay  before  the  grate.  It  is  meet  that  we  should  eat  meat. 
The  Judge  will  mete  out  justice  to  the  criminal.  A  grisly  ghost.  A 
grizzly  bear.  The  bat  flew  up  the  flue.  Her  guest  guessed  the  riddle. 
Gamblers  gamble  with  cards;  the  lambs  gambol  in  the  meadow.  He  is  a 
hale  old  man  of  seventy.  It  will  hail  to-night.  She  combed  her  hair. 
He  chased  the  hare.  The  f^u/i  maiden.  Our  mother  is  here.  The 
hour  is  late.  I  came  here  to  hear  your  name.  There  go  the  boys  with 
their  father.  She  wore  a  mantle  of  cloth.  There  is  a  marble  mantel  in 
the  parlor.  The  dog  took  the  gold  medal.  Do  not  meddle  with  it 
Gneiss  rock  makes  a  «/'«  step.  The  mist  was  so  dense  that  I  missed  the 
boat.  He  rode  across  the  street.  He  rowed  the  boat.  The  oar  of  the 
boat  was  broken.  Silver  ore  is  precious.  Row  me  o'er  the  stream.  She 
carries  a  fail.  She  looks  pale.  The  buffaloes  graze  on  the  plains. 
The  plane  is  dull.  Plain  speaking  is  admirable.  "Let  us  have  peace." 
Give  him  a  piece  of  your  pear.  He  bought  a  /»#*>  of  shoes.  The  plum 
is  good.  The  pole  stands  plumb.  Don't  A?r<?  over  your  book  in  the 
uncertain  light.  Please  to  pour  me  a  glass  of  water.  The  principal  of 
the  school  said:  Men  of  principle  are  few.  The  pedal  of  the  piano  is 
out  of  order.  Those  who  peddle  goods  make  a  large  profit.  The 
prophet  Isaiah.  It  will  rain  soon.  The  queen's  reign  has  been  long- 
When  he  had  eaten  the  rye  bread,  he  made  a  wry  face.  She  will  sew 
the  seam.  He  will  sow  wheat.  He  came  so  early.  Steel  is  a  hard 
metal.  "Thou  shalt  not  steal."  The  ship  is  a  fast  sailer.  The  sailor 
loves  the  ocean.  The  sentimental  style  is  much  admired  at  present. 
"I'm  sitting  on  the  stile,  Mary."  It  is  too  bad  to  make  two  mistakes  in 
one  word.  The  bell  tolled  at  dawn.  He  told  me  the  truth.  He  rupt- 
ured a  vein.  The  vain  man.  "An  ower  true  tale"  The  horse's 
/a//  is  long.  Improve  your  time.  Thyme  is  fragrant.  An  ounce  vial. 
He  plays  upon  the  bass  viol.  He  went  a  long  way.  Weigh  the  meat. 
Do  not  waste  your  time.  A  small  waist  is  not  beautiful.  He  sells  good 
wares.  She  wears  good  shoes.  I  would  like  some  rcw</.  He  stayed 
a  ze/<?<?£.  The  man  is  weak  from  loss  of  blood.  He  had  seen  many 
lands.  The  scene  is  beautiful  by  night  He  threw  the  ball  through  the 
window.  Quartz  makes  fine  ornaments.  He  bought  two  quarts  of 
milk.  The  English  peer  is  standing  on  the  pier.  A  pallet  is  a  small 
bed.  A  painter  uses  a  palette  for  his  paints.  Good  food  is  agreeable 


MISUSED    WORDS.  45 


to  the /«/<*/*.  The  thunder  peals.  He  peels  his  potatoes.  The  horse's 
?«##<?  is  brown.  The  main  business  of  Maine  is  lumbering.  Remem- 
ber the  widow's  mite.  He  might  have  gone.  That  horse  has  good 
mettle.  Gold  is  a  precious  metal.  One  man  zewz  the  friendship  of  all. 
He  suffers  pain.  The  boy  broke  the  pane  of  glass. 

In  the  category  of  words  that  should  never  be  used  comes  first  mis- 
formed  words,  as  blowed  for  blew;  knowed  for  knew;  lit  for  lighted; 
plead  for  pleaded.  Pleaded  is  the  past  participle  of  the  verb  to  plead, 
not  plead;  proven  for  proved;  suspicion,  a  word  now  obsolete  as  a  verb, 
for  suspect.  These  should  more  properly  be  called  grammatical  errors, 
but  are  not  uncommon  among  educated  people.  Why  say  jeop- 
ardize^ when  jeopard  expresses  the  same  meaning?  Lenity  is  better 
than  leniency.  If  we  say  lengthy,  why  not  strengthyl  yet  long  answers 
every  purpose.  Webster  says,  preventative  is  incorrectly  used  for  pre- 
ventive. Trustworthy  and  credible  are  much  better  than  reliable.  Love 
is  frequently  misused  for  like,  when  speaking  of  dress,  food,  etc.;  widow 
woman  for  widow;  since  all  widows  must  be  women,  the  word  woman  is 
superfluous.  Graduate  is  a  common  error;  a  student  does  not  graduate 
from  college;  the  college  graduates  him,  *.  e.,  admits  him  to  its  gradus, 
and  the  student  is  therefore  graduated.  Mistaken  is  also  used  incorrectly, 
as,  you  are  mistaken,  for  you  mistake;  that  is,  you  do  not  understand. 
Partially  is  incorrectly  used  for  partly.  Do  not  say  pants,  but  panta. 
loons  or  trousers.  Many  people,  wishing  to  be  very  nice,  say  polite  for 
kind.  When  one  has  been  obliging,  we  should  say  that  he  was  kind, 
not  polite.  Portion  is  incorrectly  used  for  part.  One  should  say,  In 
what  part  (not  portion)  of  the  State,  or  city,  do  you  live?  Residence 
should  not  be  used  for  house  or  home.  Impute  is  frequently  misused 
for  ascribe.  Do  not  say  poetess  for  poet.  Webster's  definition  of  the 
word/0*/  is  "one  skilled  in  making  poetry."  Authoress  and  doctress  are 
also  incorrect.  Some  writers  never  begin  anything;  they  always  com- 
mence. Apprehend  is  often  incorrectly  used  for  think;  condign  for 
severe;  casuality  for  accident;  predict  for  declare;  stop  for  stay;  as,  he  is 
stopping  at  the  hotel,  instead  of,  he  is  staying  at  the  hotel.  If  a  speaker 
or  singer  is  well  received  by  his  audience,  he  receives  a  perfect  ovation; 
if  a  man  is  kind-hearted  he  is  a  humanitarian  (t.  e.,  one  who  believes 
only  in  the  human  nature  of  Christ),  and  others  of  his  ilk  do  not  go  to 
church,  but  to  the  sanctuary.  If  a  speaker  has  talked  fifteen  minutes 
on  a  subject,  do  not  say  he  alluded  to  it.  If  you  mean  think,  do  not 
say  consider,  which  means  the  careful  weighing  of  a  subject.  Careful 
writers  will  not  say  balance  for  remainder;  between  for  among  (between 
refers  to  two  persons,  among  to  a  greater  number);  bound  for  determined; 
character  for  reputation.  Character  is  the  sum  of  distinctive  qualities 


46  GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 

possessed  by  a  person;  reputation  is  the  estimation  in  which  a  person  is 
held.  Clever  is  incorrectly  used  as  good-natured,  good-hearted.  Its 
proper  meaning  is  the  sense  in  which  we  inelegantly  apply  the  word 
smart.  Do  not  say  claim  for  assert;  completed  for  finished;  contemptible 
for  contemptuous.  Contemptible  relates  to  the  object  which  excites  con- 
tempt, contemptuous  to  the  feeling  of  contempt  experienced  by  the  mind. 
Do  not  say  continue  on.  We  continued  on  our  way  is  correct.  In 
sentences  like,  He  continued  to  write  on,  He  continued  on,  the  on  is 
superfluous.  Conversationist  is  to  be  preferred  to  conversationalist, 
though  conversationalist  is,  strictly  speaking,  correct.  Dangerous  is 
often  misused,  as,  He  is  very  sick,  but  not  dangerous.  A  dangerous 
person  is  generally  one  to  be  feared.  One  should  say,  He  is  sick,  but 
not  in  danger.  Say  die  ^consumption,  etc.,  not  die  with.  Disappoint 
means  something  contrary  to  our  wish,  therefore,  do  not  say,  agreeably 
disappointed,  but  agreeably  surprised.  Disremember  is  sometimes  used 
in  the  sense  of  to  forget;  distinguish  in  the  sense  of  discriminate.  Or 
is  the  correlative  of  either,  nor  of  neither;  yet  it  is  a  common  error  to 
place  or  with  neither  and  nor  with  either.  Elegant  is  often  used 
instead  of  fine.  A  fine  morning,  not  an  elegant  morning.  Equally  a* 
well  is  a  redundant  form  of  expression.  Say,  rather,  equally  well,  or  as 
well.  Do  not  say  expect  for  suppose.  Expect  refers  to  something  in  the 
future,  never  in  the  past.  The  words  female  and  male  should  not  be 
applied  to  persons,  but  to  animals  of  the  lower  order.  Gents  is  a 
vulgar  abbreviation  of  gentlemen,  and  should  never  be  used.  Got 
should  be  as  little  used  as  possible;  as,  I  have  a  book,  not,  I  have 
got  a  book;  never  where  it  denotes  simply  possession.  Healthy  is 
often  used  instead  of  wholesome;  food  is  not  healthy  but  wholesome, 
though  in  order  to  be  wholesome  it  must  be  healthy.  A  lobster  is 
healthy,  but  generally  unwliolesome.  There  is  no  such  word  as  illy;  the 
adjective,  the  noun,  and  the  adverb  have  all  the  same  form,  ///.  Many 
people  misuse  individual  for  person.  Individual  means  that  which  is 
not  to  be  divided.  The  word  lady  should  not  be  used  for  wife,  neither 
should  companion  be  used  in  that  sense.  Learn  is  frequently  used  for 
teach.  To  teach  is  to  instruct;  to  learn  is  to  receive  instruction.  Less 
is  often  used  for  fewer.  Less  relates  to  quantity,  fewer  to  number.  Loan 
is  much  used  for  lend,  yet,  although  there  is  such  a  word  as  loan,  lend 
is  better.  Do  not  say  more  or  most  perfect,  as,  That  is  the  most  perfect 
thing  of  the  kind  in  the  world.  Nothing  can  be  more  perfect  than  that 
which  is  perfect.  The  word  mutual  is  frequently  misused;  it  relates  to 
persons  and  to  two  persons  only.  To  say  our  mutual  friend  is  incorrect, 
although  Dickens  has  adopted  and  perpetuated  it.  Our  common  friend 
is  what  we  should  say,  /.  e.,  common  to  both  of  us;  mutual  could  not 


MISUSED    WORDS.  47 


relate  to  a  third  person.  There  is  no  error  more  common  than  the  use 
of  the  word  nice,  as,  He  is  a  nice  man,  in  the  sense  of,  He  is  &  good  ma.ru 
or  San  Francisco  is  a  nice  city,  instead  of,  San  Francisco  is  a  fine  city. 
It  is  entirely  proper  to  say  a  nice  point,  or,  the  man  is  nice  and  over- 
nice.  Nicely,  too,  is  often  used  instead  of  well,  as,  I  am  nicely,  when  we 
should  say,  I  am  well.  Notorious  is  often  used  for  noted.  Notorious 
is  used  of  persons  only  in  a  bad  sense;  it  may  be  used  of  things,  but 
is  generally  condemnatory.  Novice  should  not  be  confounded  with 
amateur;  a  novice  is  one  new  in  some  profession;  an  amateut  is  one 
devoted  to  some  thing,  as  art  or  music,  and  who  may  excel  in  it,  but 
who  does  not  make  of  it  a  profession.  Number  is  sometimes  used  for 
quantity.  Number  is  that  which  can  be  counted,  quantity  what  can 
be  measured  or  weighed.  Do  not  say  off  of ,  either  off  or  of;  nor  on  to,  as, 
He  gets  on  to  a  car,  he  gets  on  a  car.  Partake  is  sometimes  used  for  to 
eat  by  those  who  try  to  be  over-nice.  Do  not  use  the  word  party  for 
person,  nor  pattonage  for  custom;  neither  is  it  well  to  use  the  word  per- 
form for  play;  as,  She  performs  well  on  the  piano,  instead  of,  Sheptays 
the  piano  well.  If  the  use  of  the  word  post,  for  inform,  has  not  been 
placed  under  the  head  of  "slang,"  it  should  be.  He  is  well  posted. 
How  much  better  is,  He  is  well  informed.  Many  use  present  for  intro 
duce.  Introduce  means  to  make  acquainted ;  present,  according  to  Web- 
ster, is  to  put  or  place  in  presence  of  a  superior.  Provoke  and  aggravate 
are  not  synonymous;  provoke  means  to  irritate,  to  incense;  aggravate 
means  to  make  worse.  Therefore  do  not  say,  I  was  aggravated,  but  I 
was  provoked.  A  railroad  station  is  not  a  depot,  yet  many  seldom  or 
never  make  use  of  the  word  station.  A  station  means  the  points  arrived 
at,  started  from,  and  the  places  at  which  trains  stop;  a  depot  is  a  place 
where  goods  are  kept,  i.  e.,  a  warehouse.  Do  not  say  raise  for  increase, 
as,  to  raise  the  rent.  Rendition  is  frequently  used  for  rendering,  and 
also  for  performance.  Why  say  retire  when  go  to  bed  is  simpler  and 
more  correct?  Right  away  should  not  take  the  place  of  at  once  or 
immediately.  A  careful  speaker  will  not  settle  his  bill,  but  pay  his  bill. 
If  you  say  smell  of  a.  flower,  you  do  not  mean  the  same  as  when  you 
say  smell  a  flower.  Care  should  be  taken  to  avoid  all  such  redundant 
words.  He  lives  in,  not  on  Taylor  Street.  Tautology  is  frequently 
used  for  the  word  tautophony.  Tautology  means  repeating  the  same 
thought;  tautophony  means  repeating  the  same  sound.  Than  whom  is 
often  used  for  than  who;  as,  Shakspeare,  than  whom  no  greater  poet 
lived,  /.  e.,  Shakspeare — no  greater  poet  lived  than  he.  Thank  you  is 
better  than  thanks.  The  word  transpire  should  not  be  used  for  to  take 
place;  it  means,  to  escape  from  secrecy,  to  become  public.  Try  is  some- 
times misused  for  make,  as,  He  tried  an  experiment;  it  should  be,  He 


48  GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 

made  an  experiment.  Underhand,  not  underhanded.  Many  persons 
think  the  only  meaning  of  the  word  vulgar  is  indecent,  whereas  it 
means  common,  low,  coarse. 

Things  are  sold  by  auction,  not  at  auction.  The  scene  is  beautiful  by 
night,  not  at  night.  At  length  and  at  last  should  not  be  used  synony- 
mously. At  length  means  fully ;  as,  I  heard  from  him  at  length,  is  to 
hear  fully.  At  last  he  went  away,  is  correct;  not  at  length  he  went 
away.  Alone  and  only  are  frequently  used  one  for  the  other.  Alone  is 
unaccompanied  by  any  other;  only,  there  is  no  other.  Virtue  alone 
makes  man  content;  i.  e.,  virtue  unaided  makes  or  is  sufficient  to  produce 
contentment.  Virtue  only  makes  man  content;  z.  e.,  virtue,  and  nothing 
else,  can  produce  the  contentment  of  man.  Answer  and  reply  have 
distinct  meanings.  An  anwseris  given  to  a  question,  a  reply  to  an  asser- 
tion. We  answer  a  letter;  we  reply  to  any  statement  it  may  contain. 
Done  should  not  be  used  to  take  the  place  of  a  neuter  verb ;  it  is  to  do 
or  act;  as,  He  did  not  object  as  some  have  done  to  it;  it  should  read,  He 
did  not  object  as  some  have  to  it;  that  is,  as  some  have  objected  to  it. 
The  word  expect  is  often  misused  for  suppose.  Expect  refers  to  the  future, 
suppose  to  the  past.  Say,  therefore,  instead  of,  I  expect  you  were  disap- 
pointed yesterday,  I  suppose  you  were  disappointed  yesterday,  and  I 
expect  to  see  you  to-morrow.  The  verbs  to  lie  and  to  lay  are  often  mis- 
used. I  lie  down,  I  lay  the  book  down;  after  I  have  laid\\.  down  it  lies 
there.  Lay  expresses  action,  lie  rest.  Lay  is  the  past  tense  of  to  lie;  as, 
He  lay  down  to  rest.  The  word  overly  should  never  be  used.  Propose 
means  to  offer  for  consideration,  as  a  scheme,  a  proposition;  purpose 
means  to  intend,  to  resolve;  as,  I  purpose  going  to  the  city  to-morrow. 
Real  should  not  be  used  for  very;  as,  real  pretty,  mr/good;  say  very 
pretty,  very  good.  Do  not  say  seldom  or  ever;  say  rather,  seldom  or 
never,  or  seldom  if  ever.  Say  to  summon,  not  to  summons.  Iced-crea.m 
is  correct,  not  zV<?-cream;  Mo£cream  is  cream  frozen  or  iced;  iced- water; 
ice- water  is  water  melted  from  ice;  z^-cream  would  be  cream  melted 
from  frozen  cream.  In  so  far  as  is  incorrect;  the  in  is  superfluous;  so 
far  as  is  sufficient.  Flown  is  the  past  participle  of  to  fly,  and.  flowed  of 
to  flow.  The  river  has  overflowed  its  banks,  not  overflown.  The  bird 
has  flown.  Do  not  say  new  beginner ;  beginner  is  sufficient. 

SLANG. 

PROPERLY  under  the  head  of  misused  words,  slang  should  be  classified. 
The  author  has  given  it  a  separate  heading  that  its  condemnation  may 
be  set  forth  in  a  more  emphatic  manner.  No  well-bred  and  educated 
person  will  allow  himself  to  stoop  to  so  low  and  A  ulgar  a  habit  as  the 
use  of  slang.  It  is  an  unmeaning  phrase  without  p'th  or  point,  and 


PROfANITY.  49 


tends  to  the  debasement  of  the  intellect  and  the  supplanting  of  all 
ennobling  thoughts.  It  robs  a  man  of  his  dignity  and  to  a  great  degree 
absorbs  his  honor  and  his  worth.  And  whatever  may  be  the  apparent 
culture  of  him  who  uses  slang,  it  indicates  a  coarse  nature.  It  should 
be  shunned  by  all  who  respect  themselves,  their  influence,  or  their 
associates.  "It  is  an  invariable  maxim  that  words  which  add  nothing 
to  the  sense  or  to  the  clearness  of  thought  must  diminish  the  force  of 
the  expression." — Campbell. 


PROFANITY. 

Of  all  the  evidences  that  go  to  show  that  a  young  man  is  low-bred 
and  vulgar,  there  is  none  that  points  with  so  unerring  a  finger  as  that  of 
profane  swearing. 

The  old  adage  that  "a  man  is  known  by  the  company  he  keeps  "  is  a 
no  more  truthful  proverb  than  that  a  gentleman  is  known  by  the  lan- 
guage he  uses;  and  as  the  wicked  heart  within  can  never  be  purified  by 
broadcloth  of  the  finest  texture,  so  no  ornamentation  of  dress  or  other 
adornment  can  hide  from  view  the  folly,  the  indecency  or  the  vulgarity 
of  a  person  addicted  to  the  use  of  profane  words.  Profanity  plainly  indi- 
cates that  the  one  employing  it  has  such  a  limited  knowledge  of  words 
suitable  to  express  ideas  that  he  is  compelled  to  use  vulgar  epithets  to 
convey  his  thoughts. 

To  the  earnest  student  who  is  seeking  knowledge,  wisdom,  and 
power,  the  author  would  most  earnestly  endeavor  to  impress  upon  his 
mind  the  fact  that  the  uniform  use  of  a  chaste,  refined,  and  exalted 
method  of  speech  is  not  only  an  index  to  a  pure,  clear,  and  culti- 
vated intellect,  but  is  always,  to  the  lady  or  gentleman,  one  of  the  surest 
elements  of  success  in  any  business  where  language  is  required. 


Balance.  This  word  is  very  frequently  and  very  erroneously  used 
in  the  sense  of  rest,  remainder.  It  properly  means  tJie  excess  of  one 
thing  over  another,  and  in  this  sense  and  in  no  other  should  it  be  used. 
Hence  it  is  improper  to  talk  about  the  balance  of  the  edition,  of  the 
evening,  of  the  money,  of  the  toasts,  of  the  men,  etc.  In  such  cases 
we  should  say  the  rest  or  the  remainder. 

A  Diphthong  is  a  union  of  two  vowels  pronounced  in  one  syllable, 
as;  <z  in  diceresis. 

A  Triphthong  is  a  union  of  three  vowels  pronounced  in  one  sylla- 
ble; as  adieu  or  aye. 

A  Participle  is  a  part  of  speech  derived  from  a  verb  and  partaking 
the  nature  of  a  verb  and  an  adjective,  and  is  usually  formed  by  the  annex- 
ation of  ing,  d,  or  ed  to  the  root  of  the  verb. 


50  GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 

FALSE  SYNTAX. 

EXERCISE    I. 

Will  I  make  the  fire  now?     You  shall  soon  be  old. 

I  wish  he  had  went  to  San  Jose  yesterday.     Who  is  he  talking  to? 

Mr.  Jones  said  he  intended  to  have  left  the  State.  Will  you  call  and 
tell  him  I  am  sick? 

Arthur  is  talking  to  his  sister  and  I.     He  laid  down  to  sleep. 

These  strawberries  are  not  as  good  as  I  expected  they  would  be. 

I  shall  be  apt  to  see  him  at  the  City  Hall.      Your  kind,  ain't  you? 

'Tain't  her'n,  'tis  his'n.     We  are  stopping  at  the  palace. 

A  person  must  be  careful  if  they  wish  to  speak  correctly. 

One  wishes  for  many  things  that  they  can't  have.  One  loves  those 
that  is  kind  to  them. 

There  is  many  doubts  upon  that  subject.  Were  there  a  crowd  on  the 
street? 

EXERCISE    2. 

Was  there  many  books  in  his  library?  Were  there  a  great  number  of 
tickets  counted? 

Each  of  the  books  have  the  same  binding.     All  the  hens  want  to  set. 

A  setting  hen  lies  no  eggs.    Shall  you  come  to-night? 

Shall  you  stay  to  the  ball?    He  had  no  call  to  be  offended. 

Next  Christmas  he  will  be  dead  a  year. 

As  neither  his  father  or  his  mother  is  dead,  he  is  not  an  orphan. 

Either  Mary  or  Rose  have  bad  deportment.  Their  laws  are  more 
stricter  than  ourn. 

I  have  sold  my  property,  though  I  intended  to  have  kept  it 

Allie  and  Arthur  loves  pears,  but  Ralph  loves  peaches. 

That  pudding  was  lovely.    I  cannot  perform  on  the  piano  as  some  do. 

EXERCISE  3. 

He  repeated  his  questions  again  and  again.  One  can  do  as  he  tikes 
if  they  are  rich. 

This  comes  from  you  refusing  to  take  advice.  Every  heart  have  their 
own  sorrows. 

It  might  be  as  you  say,  but  I  do  not  believe  it.  I  do  not  know 
whether  he  will  come  or  no. 

You  or  he  is  wrong.    Bills  are  requested  to  be  paid  when  due. 

He  has  returned  back  from  the  East.  He  restored  back  the  money 
he  had  stole. 

If  I  was  as  strong  as  I  have  been  I  would  not  complain. 

The  observation  of  holidays  is  a  pleasure  that  all  can  enjoy. 


FALSE  SYNTAX.  51 


EXERCISE  4. 

I  affirmed  that  I  would  go.     You  said  you  should  come. 

Neither  of  the  homes  are  pleasant.   The  man  or  his  sons  were  to  die. 

The  first  twenty  years  of  one's  life  is  the  happiest. 

There  is  much  need  for  reform.     If  he  was  here  I  would  not  go. 

If  you  shall  go  into  the  country  to-morrow  you  shall  have  my  com- 
pany. 

A  ship  lays  in  the  harbor.      I  soon  expect  to  have  read  all  my  books. 

Lobsters  are  esteemed  unhealthy  food. 

His  reputation  was  good,  but  all  them  who  has  a  good  reputation  do 
not  possess  good  characters. 

A  large  family  were  growing  up  around  him.  Either  the  lawyer  or 
his  client  has  done  wrong. 

EXERCISE  5. 

I  am  not  telling  of  this  for  your  benefit.  He  came  for  to  tell  me  his 
trials. 

His  heart  was  so  affected  that  he  enjoyed  very  bad  health. 

The  two  brothers  are  equally  as  bad.  He  plunged  his  hand  down 
into  the  seething  mass. 

They  combined  together  to  do  unlawful  acts.  I  meant  to  have  asked 
you  a  question. 

He  admitted  that  the  state  of  his  finances  were  low. 

If  anyone  absents  himself  from  society  he  will  become  morose. 

The  party  assembled  were  numerous.  The  party  he  met  was  a 
stranger  to  me. 

That  gent  is  a  merchant.     He  wore  striped  pants. 

EXERCISE  6. 

He  done  his  work  good.    I  don't  know  as  'tis  right  to  summons  him. 

I  have  no  right  to  pay  his  debts.  She  was  their  mutual  friend;  they 
mutually  respected  each  other. 

Let  everybody  mind  their  own  business.  Everybody  ought  to  attend 
to  their  own  affairs. 

He  plead  for  bread.     He  plead  guilty.     He  was  proven  innocent. 

Shall  you  come  with  me?     I  will  not  go  home  to-night. 

A  person  catched  picking  flowers  on  these  grounds  will  be  arrested 
unless  permission  is  given  them  by  the  owner. 

She  was  kinder  than  I  thought  to  have  found  her. 

Sarah  done  it  unbeknown  to  all  her  friends.  John  was  summonsed  to 
appear  at  court. 

We  will  soon  be  home.     I  hoped  to  have  seen  him  in  town. 

Come  and  see  me  to-morrow.     Try  and  be  good. 


52  GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 

EXERCISE   7. 

If  it  is  him,  I  don't  want  to  see  him.     I  seen  him  coming. 

I  have  saw  many  strange  sights.     Ned  done  the  work  for  me. 

Nell  knowed  I  was  right     Ned  and  Nell  loves  each  other. 

Dot  tumbled  down,  and  has  broke  her  arm.  The  baby  sat  between 
1  and  him  in  the  buggy. 

James  is  better  educated  than  me.     John  reads  better  than  him. 

Ned  thought  I  would  let  him  go  into  the  country. 

She  has  laid  in  bed  for  twenty  year.  The  dog  has  laid  in  the  sun- 
long  enough. 

He  lay  the  book  on  the  table.     Go  and  lay  down. 

The  dress  is  made  horrid.    Don't  say  nothing  to  nobody. 

He  did  not  say  as  much  about  it  as  some  have  done. 

EXERCISE  8. 

Alice  did  not  go  as  far  as  some  have  done.     I  ain't  got  no  money. 

I  hope  I  do  not  spell  as  bad  as  some  have  done.  Which  is  the  most 
valuable,  gold  or  silver? 

They  have  all  gone  except  he  and  I.     His  mother  is  getting  crazy. 

Call  in  the  morning  at  9  A.  M.  He  called  at  the  office  in  the  evening 
at  7  P.  M. 

She  fell  pell-mell  down  stairs.  The  curator  has  mislaid  his  keys 
somewheres. 

The  sign-board  misled  me  wrongly.  He  hardly  knowed  who  to  tell 
his  troubles  to. 

I  have  been  waiting  on  an  answer  to  my  advertisement 

He  replied  to  njy  letter;  he  answered  my  arguments. 

EXERCISE  9. 

If  I  was  wealthy  I  would  help  the  poor.  If  I  was  educated  I  would 
not  go  to  school. 

The  tenants  had  a  feast  when  the  young  lord  became  of  age. 

I  intended  to  have  returned  home  immediately. 

They  ascended  up  the  mountain.    They  descended  down  into  the  mine. 

He  said  that  silver  was  not  as  precious  as  gold. 

After  Will  had  laid  down,  he  says  to  me:  "I  have  left  my  purse  lay- 
ing on  the  chair." 

He  misbehaved  so  bad  that  he  was  expelled  from  college. 

Will  I  move  the  table?     Shall  you  answer  that  letter? 

The  opinion  of  many  people  were  that  they  was  innocent 

That  was  a  cold  winter's  day.     It  is  a  handsome  night. 

Every  man  must  answer  for  their  own  faults.  As  he  discommodes 
me  I  excuse  myself! 


FALSE  SYNTAX.  53 


EXERCISE   10. 

I  wished  to  have  gone.     John  intended  to  have  went 

Fanny  and  I  was  going  to  the  city.  How  beautifully  the  rainbow 
looks. 

A  life  in  the  city  is  the  most  grandest  Oakland  is  the  most  beauti- 
fulest  city  in  the  world. 

The  dog  followed  after  the  carnage.  The  subject  follows  after  the 
predicate. 

New  beginners  work  hard.  Are  you  pleased  with  the  country  down 
there? 

That  mountains  overstands  all  other  mountains. 

Great  pleasure  may  be  had  from  studying  of  languages. 

You  knowed  Mr.  Smith  well.     Nobody  knowed  nothing  about  it 

EXERCISE    II. 

Strawberries  are  more  plenty  in  the  country  than  in  the  city. 

The  youngest  of  the  two  girls  is  married.  That  pear  is  the  largest  of 
any  pear  that  ever  growed. 

There  was  many  fish  in  the  river.  He  is  universally  esteemed  by  all 
his  friends. 

Those  which  are  happy  ought  to  pity  the  unfortunate. 

Does  he  not  read  well  and  spell  well?  What  did  you  think  was  the 
matter  of  him? 

At  this  season  of  the  year  picnics  are  being  held  now. 

The  child  being  tired  was  the  cause  of  his  being  sleepy. 

How  many  books  is  there  on  the  shelf?  Every  day,  every  hour,  every 
minute  pass  away. 

EXERCISE    12.  % 

His  speech  was  a  lengthy  one.  They  know  little  or  nothing  of  the 
rules  of  grammar. 

If  a  person  was  accused  of  dishonesty,  what  would  one  do? 

This  is  the  coldest  winter  I  ever  experienced.  She  loaned  me  her 
shawl. 

If  she  had  have  went  as  she  promised,  things  would  have  been  very 
different. 

Neither  James  or  his  brother  were  faithful  students. 

Bring  the  letters  what  you  have  wrote.  I  seen  a  young  and  old  man 
riding  together. 

Without  you  intend  to  come  now,  stay  away  entirely. 

She  cannot  but  be  pleased  with  her  son's  conduct. 

The  matter  was  decided  by  a  universal  vote  of  all  the  members 

Milton  was  not  only  famous  for  his  learning,  but  for  his  writings. 


54  GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 

EXERCISE   13. 

I  heard  of  him  going  away.  I  would  have  like  to  have  been  there  in 
the  morning  at  7  A.  M.  • 

I  am  afraid  of  the  boat  leaving  before  I  can  get  there. 

A.  good  and  honest  man  whom,  I  believe,  never  told  an  untruth. 

Leave  me  be,  I  ain't  going.    Leave  me  see  her,  she  looks  beautifully. 

The  hat  is  trimmed  shocking.    She  looked  charmingly. 

He  has  located  in  Minnesota.    Them  sort  of  apples  is  awful  common. 

The  roses  smell  very  sweetly.     He  plead  for  her  forgiveness. 

She  set  down  in  the  shade.     He  sat  his  basket  on  the  steps. 

I  respect  those  sort  of  people.    Those  two  men  are  both  twins. 

A  pair  of  twins  is  a  pretty  sight.    He  lives  on  Market  street. 

The  house  was  built  on  Third  street.     Are  you  stopping  in  the  city? 

EXERCISE  14. 

He  is  some  better  to-day.  I  think  it  is  some  dozen  miles  from  Oak- 
land. 

We  tasted  of  the  fruit  and  found  it  splendid.  He  smelled  of  the 
basket  and  said  it  was  just  awful. 

She  is  richer  than  me.     He  is  handsomer  than  her. 

Thanks;  it  is  very  good.  The  woman  noticed  more  than  you  think 
for. 

She  has  been  an  invalid  for  upwards  of  a  year.  That  was  an  under 
handed  proceeding. 

From  whence  did  he  come?     He  went  from  hence. 

She  was  a  poor  widow  woman  and  had  to  provide  for  her  family  her 
own  self. 

W  EXERCISE    15. 

I  met  an  old  friend  which  I  had  not  seen  for  many  years. 

Tell  me  where  I  would  be  liable  to  get  some  vegetables. 

Where  shall  I  be  apt  to  meet  him?  When  will  she  be  apt  to  return 
back? 

I  will  come  again  next  week;  shall  you  be  glad  to  see  me? 

That  female  has  good  sense.     He  learned  me  my  letters. 

She  is  a  superior  woman.   The  saleslady  was  attending  to  a  customer. 

The  forelady  had  charge  of  fifty  girls.   The  ink-stand  sets  on  the  table. 

The  pen  lays  on  the  desk.     I  remember  it  being  done. 

I  disremember  what  he  told  me.  I  doubt  if  my  letter  will  ever  reach 
its  destination. 

The  good  man  is  a  humanitarian.  I  have  heard  how  one  must  study 
if  they  wish  to  learn. 

Beef  is  healthy  food.     He  had  ought  to  obey  his  parents. 


FALSE  SYNTAX.  55 


EXERCISE    1 6. 

He  enjoys  such  bad  health  that  he  never  goes  nowheres. 

He  went  a  long  ways  before  he  came  to  an  inn.  This  is  an  elegant 
morning. 

He  ate  his  dinner  and  then  returned  back  home.  The  inhabitants 
all  died  with  fever. 

In  despite  of  all  my  warnings,  he  went  out  on  his  perilous  undertaking. 

I  am  bound  to  do  as  he  advised  me.  He  is  very  sick,  they  say  dan- 
gerous. 

He  continued  on  in  the  same  direction.  He  had  a  contemptible 
opinion  of  all  his  kind. 

The  man  was  notorious  for  his  good  deeds. 

Between  you  and  I,  he  don't  know  nothing  about  it. 

EXERCISE    17. 

He  hain't  been  nowhere  to-day,  but  he  shall  go  to-morrow. 

I  will  not  say  but  what  you  are  right.  I  am  very,  very  glad  to  have 
seen  him. 

That  is  a  splendid  apple.     Them  peaches  is  awful  good. 

He  was  kind  of  afraid  to  go.  He  done  the  work  well,  and  did  not 
ask  no  questions. 

Let  me  tell  you  a  little  circumstances.    Ned  and  me  was  happy  to  go. 

One  of  my  gentleman  friends  were  present  when  she  called. 

The  crowd  who  surrounded  the  prison  went  away  at  length. 

The  prisoners  which  had  assembled  in  the  chapel  was  very  quiet. 

I  seldom  ever  get  time  to  read.    He  seldom  ever  goes  to  church. 

I  expect  she  thought  her  aunt  would  have  gone^esterday. 

EXERCISE  1 8. 

Have  you  got  any  books  yet?  One  can  do  that  equally  as  well  as 
another. 

Charles  called  on  Frank  and  they  both  took  a  walk. 

I  have  got  the  heart  disease.  Whenever  I  try  to  read  well,  I  always 
find  that  my  hearers  is  pleased. 

We  will  close  this  store  hereafter  at  seven  p.  M.  in  the  evening. 

Whether  he  comes  or  no  I  will  go.  She  stood  on  to  a  chair  for  to 
look  out  of  the  window. 

The  friends  which  he  invited  did  not  come.  The  books  whom  he 
used  to  buy  was  all  sold. 

The  curtain  with  its  cords  and  tassels  have  been  stole. 

John  was  absent  a  week  and  is  still  away.  After  I  had  been  gone  a 
month  I  returned  back. 


06  GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 

EXERCISE    19. 

The  camel  is  an  intelligent  animal,  and  the  Arabs  love  then  a.s  if 
they  was  human. 

If  mother  was  in  the  room  I  would  have  seen  her. 

Dick  he  is  singing,  Bob  he  is  calling  you.    Don't  do  so  no  more  again 

Them  books  is  well  bound.      Them  chairs  are  magnificent. 

That  bread  is  perfectly  elegant.     The  pie  was  beautiful. 

Neither  the  man  or  his  wife  were  admitted.    Both  houses  was  for  sale. 

The  number  of  deaths  were  immense.  The  Board  of  Health  have 
resigned. 

He  is  a  wicked  man  and  got  his  living  by  theft. 

After  I  had  went  over  the  bay  I  seen  a  friend  in  the  city. 

Before  he  had  went  a  mile  he  returned  back.     He  is  a  new  beginner. 

EXERCISE    20. 

I  wish  he  was  home.     She  gets  up  early  of  a  morning. 

She  shall  long  be  loved,  and  her  friends  shall  always  remember  her. 

I  wanted  to  have  gone  to  the  bank  yesterday.  He  withdrew  back  his 
statement. 

The  turtle  withdrew  back  in  his  shell.  We  discussed  mutually  upon 
the  subject 

Quit  your  talking,  we  hain't  no  time  to  listen.  He  is  quite  the  gen- 
tleman. 

It  is  quite  warm  to-day.     He  has  quit  smoking. 

Smoking  is  a  vile  habit,  and  them  that  smokes  is  to  be  censured. 

What  a  quantity  of  apples  there  are  on  that  there  tree. 

What  a  number  dapples  there  are  in  your  garden. 

EXERCISE  21. 

That  landlord  has  raised  the  rent  of  all  them  houses. 

He  stopped  at  home  the  balance  of  the  day.  Where  had  you  been  to 
when  I  met  you  just  now? 

He  has  a  bad  cold.     Lets  you  and  I  go  to  the  theater  to-night. 

James  is  the  oldest  of  the  two.    John  is  the  elder  of  his  three  brothers. 

It  discommodes  me  to  travel.  He  donated  five  dollars  which  was 
for  the  school. 

The  train  just  everlastingly  went  along  the  route. 

He  experiences  a  great  deal  of  pain  when  his  eyes  is  unbound. 

Mrs.  Smith  is  a  confirmed  invalid  and  cannot  leave  her  bed  no  more. 

I  ask  pardon;  you  are  not  the  person  I  thought  it  was. 

Them  who  but  talk  for  the  sake  of  using  high  sounding  words  are  not 
worth  listening  to. 


FALSE  SYNTAX.  57 


EXERCISE    22. 

I  feel  awful  good  to-day.  It  is  said  also  to  rain  every  day  in  them 
quarters. 

I  expected  he  would  nave  written  yesterday,  but  he  done  it  not 

I  haven't  went  nowheres  this  year. 

The  three  dollars  are  for  my  subscription  of  the  Golden  Days. 

Mr.  Williams  he  come  here  yesterday.  Give  an  example  where  the 
rule  is  used. 

You  haven't  got  any  more  interest  for  you  give  it  to  John  and  I. 

Now  try  and  see  if  you  can  do  right  It  don't  look  good  to  see 
words  spelled  wrong. 

Most  people  spells  by  sight,  which  is  the  write  way. 

Crops  ain't  lookin'  flurishing.  Among  the  foreigners  was  two 
brothers. 

EXERCISE  23. 

Both  John  and  James  loved  his  country.  I  was  given  a  splendid 
dinner. 

I  am  very  fond  of  desert.  The  thunder  peels  and  the  lightning 
flashes. 

Helen  one  the  friendship  of  all  her  acquaintances. 

He  is  a  hail  old  man  of  eighty.  The  marble  mantle  gives  richness 
to  the  appearance  to  a  room. 

The  mantel  of  Webster  has  not  fallen  on  the  shoulders  of  any  other 
statesman. 

"I'm  setting  by  the  stile  Mary."  John  blowed  out  the  light  when  he 
retired. 

I  walked  a  long  ways  to-day.     I  ain't  going  nowheres. 

EXERCISE  24. 

Will  broke  a  large  pain  of  glass.      You  are  mistaken  in  your  opinion. 

In  what  portion  of  the  city  do  you  live?  Susan  is  a  poetess  of  some 
renown. 

I  expect  you  will  be  agreeably  disappointed  to  hear  that  your  friend, 
who  has  been  so  sick,  is  not  dangerous  this  elegant  morning. 

I  disremember  if  the  gents,  who  formed  the  jury,  decided  that  our 
mutual  friend  died  with  consumption  or  from  using  unhealthy  food. 

He,  who  has  a  contemptible  feeling  for  the  character  given  him  by 
others,  may  be  a  most  perfect  character. 

Many  an  individual  is  imposed  upon  because  he  is  clever. 

I  claim  neither  lady  or  companion  should  be  used  for  wife. 

He  cannot  continue  on  in  his  present  employment  equally  as  well 
unless  he  has  less  tasks  to  perform. 


GRAMMAR   EXERCISES. 


EXERCISE    25. 

Learn  me  not  to  loan  what  I  can  illy  part  with. 

She  is  the  most  perfect  of  creatures.     I  was  early  learned  to  do  that. 

Give  me  a  drink  of  ice-water.  He  used  underhanded  means  to 
accomplish  his  designs. 

Mr.  Smith  and  lady  are  stopping  at  the  Grand  Hotel. 

She  speaks  German  equally  as  well  as  English. 

Mr.  Dickson  resides  in  the  northern  poition  of  the  city. 

He  suspicioned  that  all  was  not  well.     Let  good  enough  alone. 

I  never  seen  anything  like  it  before.     Gents,  please  walk  this  way. 

Mrs.  Jones  is  a  real  nice  lady.  The  balance  of  the  day  was  spent  at 
play. 

They  partook  of  a  hearty  meal.     Those  parties  are  well  posted. 

EXERCISE  26. 

He  presented  his  wife  to  the  company.     He  aggravated  me  greatly. 

This  train  stops  five  minutes  at  the  depot.  He  raised  his  salary  to 
one  hundred  dollars. 

Will  you  smell  of  this  rose?     Come  home  right  away. 

The  chemist  tried  an  experiment.     This  property  was  sold  at  auction. 

At  length  he  went  away.     John  replied  to  his  mother's  long  letter. 

He  did  not  talk  as  some  have  done.  I  expected  I  should  see  you 
yesterday  and  now  suppose  I  will  to-morrow. 

It  is  a  real  warm  day,  I  think.      Henry  is  overly  particular. 

I  propose  going  to  the  city  to-morrow.  In  California  it  seldom  or 
ever  rains  in  the  month  of  June  or  July. 

Do  you  love  ice-cream?     The  river  has  overflown  its  banks. 

EXERCISE    27. 

We  have  many  new  beginners  in  grammar.  Sally  completed  *her 
task  early. 

John  looks  like  James  does.  He  returned  as  soon  as  the  storm 
begun. 

He  cut  the  apple  in  half.     The  teacher  learned  him  his  lesson. 

My  old  friend  sat  himself  down  in  the  chair. — Addison. 

She  is  older  than  me.    I  had  a  splendid  time  at  the  picnic. 

Joseph  laid  abed  too  late.     It  is  pouring  down  rain. 

Speak  slow  but  loud.      Let  the  sluggard  lay  undisturbed. 

The  farmer  sold  three  basketsfull  of  peaches. 

The  student  goes  to  school  six  hours  and  plays  the  balance  of  the  day. 

Each  of  the  children  are  to  share  equally  in  their  father's  estate. 

Everybody  has  a  right  to  look  after  their  own  interests. 


FALSE  SYNTAX.  59 


EXERCISE    28. 

Mar}'  was  sat  there.     Boys  sit  up  nine-pins. 

News  are  scarce.  I  found  a  two-feet  rule.  I  found  a  rule  two  foot  long. 

If  you  was  there  I  am  content.     I  done  as  I  was  asked  to  do. 

Nell  does  not  sow  good.    He  ketched  cold.    He  is  such  a  good  fellow. 

Ned  does  not  feel  good.     You  seldom  see  such  a  rich  man. 

The  wind  blowed  hard  yesterday.     You  was  good. 

You  had  better  do  that  different.     You  hadn't  ought  to  do  so,  James. 

What  was  you  doing  and  where  was  you  going? 

Six  month's  interest  are  due.     Julia  has  got  her  lesson  well. 

I  have  not  saw  you  much  of  late.     This  is  the  setting-room. 

May,  lay  down  and  rest  an  hour.     Carry  the  horse  to  water. 

These  poor  lessons  must  be  put  a  stop  to. 

EXERCISE  29. 

The  sick  man  is  getting  the  better  of  his  sickness. 
Ned  laid  abed  late.      John  and  James  were  both  setting  on  the  seat- 
Some  little  girls  set  up  too  late.     I  ain't  going  yet. 
Mollie  is  as  cross  as  a  setting  hen.    The  doctor  sat  him  on  the  lounge. 
He  was  hung  by  his  neck  till  dead.    The  garment  sets  well. 
He  throwed  it  into  the  river  for  I  seen  him  when  he  done  it. 
I  love  pork  and  beans.     I  learned  the  little  girl  to  walk. 
Molasses  are  excellent.     His  pulse  are  beating  too  fast. 
Was  you  there?     Five  dimes  is  half  a  dollar. 
The  Sacramento  River  empties  into  the  Bay. 

There  was  only  seven  of  us.  Us  girls  were  out  late.  Thou  shall  go. 
Every  ten  tens  make  a  hundred.  Everybody  are  disposed  to  help  him. 
John  lies  a  book  on  the  table.  The  book  lays  on  the  table. 

EXERCISE  30. 

Philip  lays  in  bed.     John  has  done  gone. 

Since  you  have  made  the  first  you  may  do  the  rest. 

I  did  not  eat  as  some  have  done.     He  married  a  Jew. 

Any  one  of  the  two  roads  will  take  you  to  town. 

Neither  one  of  these  four  books  are  fit  for  use. 

An  ounce  of  preventative  is  better  than  a  pound  of  cure. 

I  done  it  to-day.    The  Centennial  was  seven  years  since. 

It  was  him  I  see  yesterday.     He  was  ever  so  good. 

He  has  been  there  after  I  left.     He  said  how  he  could  do  it 

Hon.  Peter  Cooper  Esq.  was  a  great  humanitarian. 

There  is  no  other  book  here  but  mine.     London  is  the  largest  of  all 

the  other.cities  in  the  world. 


GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 


EXERCISE  31 

Susan  died  with  consumption.     The  glutton  died  for  hunger. 

john  lives  to  home.     The  musick  sounded  harshly. 

he  was  followed  with  a  Crowd.    John  he  is  hard  to  work. 

Great  improvements  has  bin  made.  These  appears  to  be  finished 
the  neatest. 

who  broke  that  Tongs?    i  am  exceeding  sorry  01  your  missfor tunes. 

I  have  bot  ate  load  of  wood.     Who  broke  this  slate?     Me. 

Nobody  said  so  but  him.  Neather  sarah,  Ann,  nor  jane  has  per- 
formed their  task. 

He  need  not  trouble  himself.    They  two  quarrelled  among  each  other. 

was  cain's  and  Abie's  father  there,    i  have  no  occasion  of  his  services. 

This  is  tennysons,  the  Poets  home.     It  was  not  them,  it  was  hur. 

EXERCISE  32. 

I  knew  that  it  was  him.     He  is  a  better  writer  than  a  reader. 

he  is  a  Friend,  who  I  am  indebted  to.  richard,  He  first  went  to 
school. 

She  saw  either  I  or  you.  hav  you  read  any  of  dickens  or  thackery's 
works? 

The  lemon  tastes  sourly.     I  bot  them  books  at  a  very  low  price. 

go  and  tell  them  boys  to  be  still.  He  speaks  very  fluent  and  reasons 
fustly. 

They  never  quarrel  among  each  Other.  Every  one  must  judge  of 
Their  own  Feelings. 

we  Rode  about  ten  miles  an  hour,  here  is  six,  but  neither  of  them 
will  answer. 

These  People  they  are  all  A  goin.    we  Was  disapointed. 

EXERCISE  33. 

i  was  at  london  when  this  Happened,    blessed  is  them  who  are  good. 
Can  you  tell  which  is  the  Largest  of  them  two. 
He  was  extreme  prodigal,     i  can  not  think  so  mean  of  Him. 
this  hat  is  John  or  James's.     I  gave  him  oats  but  he  would  not  eat  it, 
menny  boys  They  study  hard,     he  went  there  at  about  noon. 
John  is  a  clever  fellow.     James  is  a  smart  fellow. 
He  is  dangerous  (referring  to  a  sick  man). 
I  am  agreeably  disappointed.     I  disremember  who  it  was. 
Oakland  is  a  nice  city.     I  am  nicely  to-day. 
As  soon  as  they  begun  to  recite  their  lessons  silence  prevailed. 
I  have  cut  my  apple  in  half.     He  is  taller  than  me  by  six  inches. 
Set  down  on  the  first  you  come  to.      Peter  rode  on  a  man's  horse 
named  Smith. 


FALSE  SYNTAX.  61 


EXERCISE   34. 

Walk  slow.  Speak  distinct.  The  farmer  gathered  ten  basketsful  of 
apples. 

Take  two  teaspoonsful  three  times  a  day. 

Each  of  the  sons  are  to  have  a  holiday.  Youth  is  the  most  enjoyable 
of  any  Period  in  life. 

New  York  is  the  largest  city  of  any  in  the  United  States. 

That  boy  Is  the  brightest  of  all  his  classmates. 

This  rule  is  two  foot  long.     That  tall  man  weighs  only  120  pound. 

Learn  to  carefully  choose  your  words.  She  is  a  remarkable  pretty 
girl. 

This  apple  tastes  sweetly.     I  am  tolerable  well  to-day. 

Grass  grows  rapid  in  warm  weather.     The  bird  flies  swift. 

EXERCISE  35. 

A  wealthy  gentleman  wishes  to  adopt  a  little  boy  with  a  small  family. 

A  man  called  from  the  east  to  see  you. 

I  propose  writing  letters  to-morrow.  Neither  the  parents  or  th 
children  was  saved  from  the  wreck. 

An  house  is  in  the  water  three  foot.     Strawberries  is  a  dollar  a  box. 

Thanks,  I  shall  be  pleased  to  come  to  the  city. 

He  replied  to  his  mother's  letter.  A  new  beginner  has  to  study  dili- 
gent. 

The  means  by  which  men  acquire  fame  is  various.  The  ship  has 
left  his  wharf. 

When  one  suffers  in  vain,  it  is  their  own  fault. 

Napoleon  was  awful  ambitious,  he  was  bound  to  succeed 

Nero  was  a  great  tyrant,  he  hates  all  the  human  family. 

EXERCISE  36. 

The  evil  that  men  do  live  after  them.  Mankind  are  willing  to  con- 
done the  faults  of  them  they  love. 

When  I  become  a  man  I  put  away  childishness. 

He  which  smokes  makes  himself  disagreeable  to  their  associates. 

The  pride  of  man  frequently  blind  him.  The  indolent  is  seldom  or 
ever  happy. 

Anything  worth  doing,  is  worth  doing  good. 

Let  good  enough  alone.  Says  he  to  me,  "you  can't  never  take  a 
joke." 

The  author  of  "Home,  sweet  home"  never  had  no  home. 

He  bought  that  horse  unbeknown  to  his  father. 

Do  you  propose  trusting  him  with  a  sum  of  money. 


62  GRAMMAR  EXERCISES. 

EXERCISE  37. 

Can  your  brother  perform  well  on  the  violin, 

His  teacher  learned  him  Spanish  and  German. 

Come  in  and  stay  a  bit,  I  will  tell  you  the  news. 

When  a  liar  speaks  the  truth,  we  dare  not  believe  them. 

The  news  are  painful,  prepare  yourself  to  listen  patient. 

Industry  assure  success  and  prosperity.  Bring  me  back  the  books 
that  I  have  loaned  you,  they  are  used  up. 

The  keys  was  too  rusty  to  be  of  use.  I  see  her  instead  of  you  yes- 
terday. 

I  seen  them  loading  the  poles  on  to  the  wagon. 

He  that  talks  too  much  is  apt  to  say  something  they  will  regret. 

The  lady  looked  splendid  in  her  beautiful  new  dress. 

EXERCISE  38. 

She  looked  just  too  awfully  sweet  for  anything. 

It  is  a  awful  bitter  cold  day.  It  rains  in  torrents  and  the  wind  blows 
a  hurricane. 

It  was  so  rough  on  the  Bay  that  .1  thought  I  should  die. 

It  was  so  hot  yesterday  that  I  almost  melted.  The  best  lessons  is 
that  of  examples. 

The  sweatest  harmony  is  the  voice  of  the  one  which  we  love. 

She  is  the  woman  which  I  seek.     Was  they  not  the  same  men? 

Them  are  my  children.     Has  one  ever  regretted  doing  their  duty? 

That  species  of  dogs  called  Laconian  dogs  live  only  ten  years. 

The  army  were  entirely  destroyed.  The  things  of  the  earth  are  not 
worth  our-  attachment  to  it. 

The  music  of  the  ancients  were  different  from  ours. 

EXERCISE  39. 

They  would  be  exquisite  words  if  a  great  man  was  to  speak  them. 

Let  us  no  longer  argue  about  this,  every  one  has  their  own  opinion. 

No  one  is  happy  unless  they  can  esteem  themselves. 

How  many  people  assume  virtue  which  has  it  not ! 

Latin  and  Greek  languages  was  spoken  many  years. 

The  best  addresses  is  them  which  the  heart  has  dictated. 

Obey,  if  thou  wishest  that  one  day  others  may  obey  you. 

He  would  have  went  into  the  country  if  the  weather  had  permitted. 

I  expected  to  have  seen  her  yesterday,  but  was  disappointed. 

I  was  agreeably  disappointed  to  receive  word  that  I  might  remain. 

We  should  have  many  enjoyments  if  one  knew  how  to  profit  by  his 


FALSE  SYNTAX. 


EXERCISE  40. 

He  aggravates  me  by  his  useless  repining.  The  individuals  I  saw 
were  foreigners. 

He  always  acts  in  a  underhanded  way.  He  is  upwards  of  fifty  years 
old. 

He  is  a  man  of  the  most  perfect  truth  and  veracity. 

The  most  sublime  of  Byron's  works  was  Manfred. 

She  is  a  poor  widow  woman  with  a  large  family  to  support. 

She  intended  to  have  come  but  was  detained. 

I  expected  to  have  been  able  to  go,  but  was  sick. 

He  come  to  tell  me  his  troubles.     He  said:  "God  was  love. 

I  wish  he  had  went  home  instead  of  going  to  the  city. 

When  will  I  see  you  again?    Will  you  go  home  to-night? 

EXERCISE  41. 

He  is  as  cross  as  a  setting  hen.    How  many  eggs  is  the  hen  setting  on? 

I  will  be  there  on  the  Sabbath.  The  excellence  of  Barrett's  rendi- 
tion of  Hamlet  is  beyond  question. 

Whether  she  comes  or  no  I  will  finish  my  writing. 

There  was  no  less  than  five  hundred  persons  present. 

He  sets  a  luxuriant  table.   Will  you  take  another  piece  of  the  mutton? 

Will  you  take  dinner  at  six.     He  has  located  in  Sonoma  valley. 

Where  would  I  be  liable  to  get  some  fruit?  He  is  an  honest  gen- 
tleman. 

She  is  an  amiable  lady.  The  Knights  Templar  hold  their  meetings 
every  week. 

He  called  an  innumerable  number  of  times.  Mr.  Brown  has  per- 
formed so  many  kind  deeds  that  he  is  called  a  humanitarian. 

EXERCISE  42. 

I  have  heard  how  in  traveling  one  can  find  much  pleasure. 

That  young  lady  has  a  great  many  gentleman  friends. 

He  experienced  great  difficulty  in  walking  so  many  miles. 

The  day  has  been  excessively  hot.  He  can  write  equally  as  well  as 
his  father. 

He  done  all  he  could  to  render  her  life  a  torment  to  her. 

He  died  with  the  dread  disease  consumption,  after  years  of  great 
suffering. 

I  will  come  directly  I  have  finished  my  writing. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  man  is  a  paradox.  He  was  so  clever  that 
anybody  could  impose  on  him. 

That  mother  and  daughter  both  resemble  each  other.  He  blames  all 
his  naughtiness  on  his  cousin. 


64  GRAMMAR   EXERCISES. 

AUXILIARY  VERBS. 

Auxiliary  Verbs  are  short  words  prefixed  to  principal  verbs  to  aid  in 
forming  the  various  moods  and  tenses. 

The  Auxiliaries  are  may,  can,  must,  do,  be,  have,  shall,  will,  and 
their  variations. 

Will,  do,  be,  and  have  are  also  principal  verbs. 

Shall  and  Will.  The  nice  distinctions  that  should  be  made 
between  these  two  auxiliaries  are,  in  some  parts  of  the  English-speaking 
world,  often  disregarded,  and  that,  too,  by  persons  of  high  culture.  The 
proper  use  of  shall  and  will  can  be  much  better  learned  from  example 
than  from  precept.  Many  persons  who  use  them,  and  also  should  and 
would,  with  well-nigh  unerring  correctness,  do  so  unconsciously;  it  is 
simply  habit  with  them,  and  they,  though  their  culture  may  be  limited, 
will  receive  a  sort  of  verbal  shock  from  Biddy's  inquiry,  "  Will  I  put 
ihe  kettle  on,  ma'am?"  when  your  Irish  or  Scotch  countess  would  not 
be  in  the  least  disturbed  by  it. 

SHALL,  in  an  affirmative  sentence,  in  the  first  person,  and  WILL  in  the 
second  and  third  persons,  merely  announce  future  action.  Thus,  "  I  shall 
go  to  town  to-morrow."  "I  shall  riot;  I  shall  wait  for  better  weather." 
"We  shall  be  glad  to  see  you."  "You  will  be  pleased."  You  will 
soon  be  twenty."  "You  will  find  him  honest." 

SHALL,  in  an  affirmative  sentence,  in  the  second  and  third  persons, 
announces  the  speaker's  intention  to  control.  Thus,  "  You  shall  hear  me 
out."  '''You  shall  go,  sick  or  well."  "He  shall  be  my  heir." 

WILL,  in  the  first  person,  expresses  a  promise,  announces  the  speaker's 
intention  to  control,  proclaims  a  determination.  Thus,  "I  will  [I  promise 
to]  assist  you."  "I  will  [I  am  determined  to]  have  my  right." 

SHALL,  in  an  interrogative  sentence,  in  the  first  and  third  persons,  con- 
sults the  will  or  judgment  of  another;  in  the  second  person,  it  inquires 
concerning  the  intention  or  future  action  of  another.  Thus,  "Shall  I  go 
with  you?"  "When  shall  we  see  you  again?" 

WILL,  in  an  interrogative  sentence,  in  ihe  second  person,  asks  concerning 
the  wish,  and,  in  the  third  person,  concerning  the  purpose  or  future  action 
of  others.  Thus;  "  Will  you  have  an  apple?"  "  Will  you  go  with  me?" 

Should  and  would  follow  the  regimen  of  shall  and  will.  Would  is 
often  used  for  should;  should  rarely  for  would.  Correct  speakers  say, 
"I  should  go  to  town  to-morrow  if  I  had  a  horse."  "I  should  not;  I 
should  wait  for  better  weather."  "We  should  be  glad  to  see  you."  "I 
should  like  to  go  to  town,  and  would  go  if  I  could."  "I  would  assist 
you  if  I  could."  "I  should  have  been  ill  if  I  had  gone." 


COMPENDIUM 


AND 


GENERAL  LETTER  WRITING. 


B\  VIRGINIA  PATCHETT. 
Teacher  of  Business  Correspondence  at 

HEALD'S    BUSINESS    COLLEGE. 


PUBLISHED  BY 
HEALD'S  BUSINESS  COLLEGB, 

SAN   FRANCISCO,   CAL. 


s  * 


,    !§§!>, 

* 


PREFACE 


IN  publishing  this  work  the  object  desired  was  to  secure  in  a  condensed  form  a 
thoroughly  practical  course  in  Business  Correspondence.  Ranking  high,  as  this  sub- 
ject does,  in  importance,  to  the  general  public,  it  has  received  far  too  little  attention, 
hitherto,  even  in  our  Commercial  Schools;  and,  copious  as  is  the  supply  of  text-books 
in  every  other  field  of  literature,  this  department  alone  contains  but  few  of  real 
practical  utility.  Diligent  research  has  been  made  in  all  works  on  this  subject 
now  extant,  and  among  hundreds  of  actual  business  letters,  that  only  the  most  prac. 
tical  and  generally  used  forms  might  be  given.  The  multiplicity  of  forms,  usually 
presented,  unaccompanied  by  a  sufficient  number  of  practical  exercises,  has  tended 
only  to  bewilder  the  student,  without  producing  any  definite  impression.  To  avoid 
this  result,  but  little  theory  with  much  practical  work  is  here  the  plan  pursued. 
Accuracy  and  facility  in  arrangement  and  expression  are  indispensable  to  every  good 
correspondent  and  are  only  to  be  acquired  by  study  and  patient,  persistent  practice. 
A  knowledge  of  this  fact  has  led  to  a  large  amount  of  work  being  required  of  the 
pupil  at  the  end  of  each  section.  The  first  three  chapters  are  designed  especially  for 
beginners,  and  those  of  some  literary  attainments,  who  are  unskilled  in  arrangement. 
The  last  chapter,  containing  as  it  does  so  much  that  is  instructive  and  entertaining 
in  the  letters  of  eminent  persons,  cannot  fail  to  interest  and  benefit  even  the  most 
proficient  in  letter  writing. 

Acknowledgments  are  due  to  many  sources  for  valuable  information,  but  especially 
to  the  Rhetoric  of  Rev.  James  R.  Boyd,  and  the  Letter  Writer  of  J.  Willis  Westlake, 
for  many  thoughts  contained  in  Chapter  IV.  on  the  subject  of  SOCIAL  LETTERS, 
NOTES  and  CARDS.  To  these  and  other  authorities,  and  to  the  friends  who  have 
by  kindly  criticism  aided  in  this  work,  grateful  thanks  are  tendered. 


TO  THE  TEACHKR. 


THE  following  is  an  outline  of  the  steps  to  be  pursued  to  use  this  work  successfully: 

1.  Have  each  student  make  an  accurate  copy  of  the  complete  letter  following  the 
introduction;  this  will  call  the  attention  particularly  to  the  general  arrangement,  and 
punctuation. 

2.  Have  all  the  lessons  on  form  learned  and  the  answers  to  the  questions  written,  01 
recited  in  class.     The  exercises  at  the  close  of  each  section  should  be  written  by  the 
pupil,  and  returned  to  him  after  being  corrected:  he  should  not  be  allowed  to  proceed 
until  the  letters  at  the  close  of  Section  IV.  have  been  copied  and  correctly  arranged. 

3.  When  the  student  is  thoroughly  proficient  in  the  arrangement,  he  may  be 
allowed  to  take  up  the  subjects  of  perspicuity  and  brevity,  but  not  before.     A  correct 
mechanical  form  must  be  the  first  thing  acquired.      In  copying  the  brief  letter  at  the 
bottom  of  page  105,  place  it  so  that  the  body  of  the  letter  will  come  in  the  center  oi 
the  page,  the  space  above  the  heading  being  nearly  equal  to  that  below  the  signa- 
ture. 

4.  The  exercises  on  Capital  Letters,    Punctuation,  and  Business  Letters,  may  be 
indefinitely  extended  if  the  needs  of  the  pupil  should  require  it. 

5.  For  Chapter  IV.  the  general  plan  corresponds  to  that  of  the  Business  Correspon- 
dence.    First,  study  forms;  then  the  letters  and  extracts,  noting  and  criticising  all 
peculiarities  of  expression,   and  then  require  of  the  pupil  original  letters  on  similar 
nubjects. 


CON  TENTS. 


INTRODUCTION 


Pag. 

•    71 


CHAPTER   I. 

GENERAL  ARRANGEMENT. 

SECTION    I.  HEADING 

"  II.  MARGIN  AND  ADDRESS     .... 

"  III.  BODY  OF  LETTER         ..... 

*'  IV.  COMPLIMENTARY  CLOSING  AND  SIGNATURE. 

"  V.  FOLDING  OF  LETTER       •       ... 

"  VI.  SUPERSCRIPTION         • 

•'  VII.  INSERTION  AND  STAMP     .... 

*'  VIII.  POSTAL  CARDS  AND  TELEGRAMS 


CHAPTER  II. 

PERSPICUITY. 

SECTION    I.    PERSPICUITY  IN  COMPOSITION     . 


CHAPTER  III. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 


SECTION    I. 

II. 

••      III. 


BREVITY  IN  COMPOSITION        ... 
CAPITAL  LETTERS  AND  PUNCTUATION 
LETTERS  OF  BUSINESS  AND  GENERAL  RULES 

CHAPTER  IV. 

SOCIAL   LETTERS,  ETC. 

SECTION    I.  CARDS  AND  NOTES 

"         II.  SOCIAL  LETTERS 

"       III.  TITLES  AND  FORMS  OF  ADDRESS 

'•       IV.  LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS  FROM  LETTERS 


100 

1 06 

112 


119 
"3 
127 
131 


Business  Correspondence — 'intercourse  on  business  subjects  by 
means  of  letters, — 2is  the  most  important  division  of  prose  composition, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  most  easily  acquired.  The  subject  in  a  busi- 
ness letter  sis  clearly  denned  in  the  mind  of  the  writer,  before  the  neces- 
sity of  expression  arises;  while  in  all  other  prose  productions  much 
must  be  supplied  by  and  the  beauty  depends  upon  the  imagination. 

The  three  most  important  characteristics  of  a  good  business  letter 
are — ^neatness,  perspicuity  and  brevity. 

Neatness — including  5penmanship  and  general  arrangement  accord- 
ing to  the  most  approved  models — should  rank  first,  for,  however  merito- 
rious the  other  qualities  may  be,  without  this  first  essential,  a  good 
impression  of  the  writer  will  not  be  produced  in  the  mind  of  his  corre- 
spondent. 

Perspicuity — 'clearness,  especially  of  statement  —  renders  each 
letter  with  its  answer  a  complete  history  of  the  transaction  which  forms 
its  subject. 

7It  requires  that  every  detail  should  be  carefully  considered  and 
ranked  in  the  order  of  its  importance  as  a  component  part  of  the  com- 
plete subject. 

Brevity — "shortness — requires  that,  however  necessarily  long  the 
letter  may  be  from  the  nature  of  the  subject,  not  one  unnecessary  word 
sliced  be  used. 

Having  thus  noted  the  most  important  points,  they  will  next  be  con- 
sidered carefully,  beginning  with  neatness  as  embodied  in  form;  shown, 
ist ,  as  a  whole  in  the  model  letter;  and,  zd  ,  as  component  parts  in  sec- 
tions of  Chapter  I. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  Define  Business  Correspondence. 

2.  What  is  its  rank  in  prose  composition? 

3.  What  is  said  of  the  subject  of  a  business  letter? 

4.  What  are  the  three  important  characteristics? 

5.  What  are  included  under  the  subject  of  neatntsi* 

6.  Define  perspicuity. 

7.  What  does  it  require? 

8.  Define  Brevity. 


72 


LETTER     WRITING. 


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CHAPTER  I. 

SECTION    I  -HEADING. 

*The  place  where,  and  the  time  when,  the  letter  is  written  should  be 
given  in  the  heading. 

The  place  should  always  be  2the  post-office  address  of  the  writer  3sc 
that  his  correspondent  may  use  it,  if  necessary,  in  directing  the  reply. 

The  time  should  always  include  4the  month,  day  of  the  month,  and  year, 

The  general  rule  for  placing  the  heading  in  letters  that  are  to  be 
nearly  a  page,  or  a  number  of  pages  in  length,  is,  —  5Begin  on  the  first 
ruled  line  at  or  near  the  center  of  the  page,  and  extend  toward  the  right- 

6One,  two,  or  three  lines  may  be  used,  depending  on  the  number  and 
length  of  the  items.  Where  two  or  more  lines  are  used  'begin  the  first 
about  the  center  of  the  page,  and  each  subsequent  line  8about  three> 
fourths  of  an  inch  to  the  right  of  the  preceding  line. 

If  the  letter  is  to  be  quite  short,  9begin  low  enough  on  the  page  to 
bring  the  body  of  the  letter  as  near  the  center  of  the  page  as  possible. 

Only  Ifltwo  pauses  are  used  in  punctuating  the  heading;  the  comma> 
"between  the  separate  parts,  and  the  period  "after  each  abbreviation, 
and  at  the  close. 


13This  city  is  so  well  known  that  no  other  item  in  the  location  need  bfc 
given. 


The  "  state  is  given  to  distinguish  between  this  city  and  others  in  dif 
ferent  states  bearing  the  same  name. 


The  15county  is  required  when  the  town  is  not  well  known. 


HEADING.  75 


'"The  number  and  name  of  the  street  should  always  be  given  in  a 
city  which  has  a  postal  delivery,  unless  directed  to  a  post-office  box. 


<&£, 


When  necessary  to  give  post-office  box,  17it  should  be  the  first  item. 

"Official  letters  often  require  as  many  as  three  lines  for  the  heading, 
but  19t\vo  will  usually  be  sufficient  for  business  letters. 

Student  should  copy  the  preceding  examples  carefully  and  give  in 
addition  five  original  ones. 

Arrange  properly  and  punctuate  the  following  headings:- 

1.  July  5,  Park  Ave.,  No.  39,  1883,  Cal.,  Sacramento. 

2.  Market  St.,  Baldwin  Hotel,  1883,  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  July  2. 

3.  Ohio,  Dec.  3,  Mahoning  Co.,  1882,  Youngstown. 

4.  San  Francisco,  1200  Grand  Ave.,  July  4,  1883. 

5.  Cal.,  Napa  Co.,  July  16,  Creston,  1883. 

6.  1883,  July  5,  Sacramento,  cor.  J  and  i4th  Sts., 

7.  Alameda  Co.,  Seminary  Park,  Mills'  Seminary,  1883,  July  7. 

8.  Modoc  Co.,  Hayden  Hill  Mine,  July  8,  1883,  Cal. 

9.  Mass., Boston,  1883,  89  Boylston  St.,  July  4. 
10.  San  Jose,  P.  O.  Box  93,  July  9,  1883,  Cal. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  What  items  are  included  in  the  heading? 

2.  What  is  meant  by  the //art?? 

3.  Why  should  it  be  given? 

4.  What  are  the  divisions  of  the  timel 

5.  Where  should  the  heading  begin? 

6.  How  many  lines  should  be  used? 

7.  Where  should  the  first  begin? 

8.  Where  should  the  second  or  third  line  begin? 

9.  Where  should  the  heading  begin  when  the  letter  is  very  short? 

10.  What  pauses  are  used  in  punctuating  the  heading? 

1 1.  When  is  the  comma  necessary? 

12.  When  is  the  period  used? 

13.  Why  is  the  city  alone  sufficient  in  example  I? 

14.  Why  is  the  State  given  in  example  2? 

15.  Why  is  the  county  given  in  example  3? 


76  LETTER     WRITING. 


16.  When  should  the  number  and  name  of  the  street  be  given? 

17.  When  the  post-office  box  is  given,  where  should  it  be  placed? 

18.  How  many  lines  are  sometimes  used  in  official  letters? 

19.  How  many  for  other  business  letters? 

SECTION  II. 
MARGIN    AND    ADDRESS. 

'Three-fourths  of  an  inch  space  must  be  kept  free  from  all  writing  on 
the  /<?//-hand  side  of  each  page  of  business  note  paper.  A  slight  varia- 
tion in  this  width  would  make  no  especial  difference,  ^provided,  the 
margin  be  uniform. 

If  small  note  paper  be  used  3the  margin  should  be  much  narrower, 
*so  that  the  relative  proportion  may  be  preserved. 

If  the  student  finds  it  difficult  to  keep  the  margin  even  at  first,  he 
may  5place  his  ruler  the  proper  distance,  three-fourths  of  an  inch,  from 
the  left  edge  of  the  paper,  and  make  a  light  dot  in  lead  pencil  on  each 
line.  Begin  the  first  word  of  each  line,  except  part  of  the  address  and 
new  paragraphs,  at  the  dot. 

The  address,  6name,  and  location  of  the  person  to  whom  the  letter  is 
written  'should  begin  at  the  left  margin  and  on  the  next  line  below  the 
heading. 

The  only  exception  to  this  rule  is  8in  official  letters,  in  which  'the 
address  may  be  placed  at  the  close  of  the  letter  beginning  **on  the  next 
line  below  the  signature  and  at  the  margin  line. 

If  the  address  consists  of  two  or  more  lines  ueach  one  begins  three- 
fourths  of  an  inch  to  the  right  of  the  preceding  one. 

The  location  12must  never  be  placed  on  the  same  line  with  the  name 
of  the  person,  but  13on  the  line  below. 

Punctuation  of  the  address  requires  the  same  rule  as  the  heading; 
viz.,  "The  comma  between  the  items;  the  period  after  each  abbrevia- 
tion and  at  the  end. 

The  complimentary  address  Ioconsists  of  the  word  or  words  of 
respect  placed  after  the  completed  address  and  lbon  the  line  below  it. 

Either  the  "comma  or  colon  may  be  used  after  the  complimentary . 
address,  but  either  one  should  be  followed  by  the  dash. 


MARGIN-    AND    ADDRESS.  77 

When  a  title  precedes  the  name  I8it  must  be  placed  at  the  marginal 
line. 

The  name  of  the  city  and  the  abbreviation  for  the  State  19may  be 
placed  on  the  same  line  28except  in  cases  in  which  they  are  so  long  as 
to  extend  near  the  right  side  of  the  page.  The  complimentary  address 
begins  ''three-fourths  of  an  inch  to  the  right  of  the  second  line  of  the 
address. 

Q/ 


Any  title  used  after  the  name  '•"should  be  separated  from  it  by  a 
comma  When  several  titles  follow  the  name  23they  are  separated  from 
each  other  by  the  comma. 

'4Esquire,  abbreviated  Esq.  or  Esqr.,  25may  be  used  in  business  letters 
in  all  cases  in  which  Mr.  is  applicable;  but,  being  titles  of  courtesy, 
both  '"should  not  be  used  in  the  same  address.  Mr.  is  occasionally 
used  with  other  titles,  but  is  only  correct  in  a  few  instances. 

The  second  line  contains  the  number  and  name  of  street  and  the 
city ,  the  state  is  written  on  the  third  line  and  "when  alone,  as  in  this 
instance,  looks  best  written  in  full.  To  place  the  complimentary  address 
in  this  case  to  the  right  of  the  last  line  in  the  address  '-"would  bring  it 
too  near  to  the  center  of  the  page,  so  it  is  placed  three-fourths  of  an 
inch  to  the  right  of  the  marginal  line. 

This  form  is  the  best  win  all  cases  in  which  the  address  occupies 
three  or  more  lines. 


The  official  appellation  is  placed  Mon  the  line  below  the  name. 

A  letter  to  a  corporation  or  company  may  be  directed  31to  the  Pres- 
ident or  the  Board  of  Directors,  Trustees,  or  any  other  name  by  which 
they  are  known. 


78  LETTER     WRITING. 


In  addressing  a  gentleman  who  is  a  stranger,  or  only  a  slight 
acquaintance,  Sir  is  the  best  form;  for  a  firm  of  two  or  more,  Sirs  or 
Gentlemen.  32A  very  intimate  acquaintance  only  would  warrant  Dear 
Sir,  or  My  dear  Sir. 


In  addressing  a  married  woman  ^always  give  the  Christian  name  of 
her  husband;  but.  a  widow  34should  be  addressed  in  her  own  name,  as: — 


In  addressing  an  unmarried  lady  ^the  complimentary  address  should 
be  omitted  and  the  body  of  the  letter  should  begin  on  the  next  line 
after  the  address;  as: — 


After  carefully  studying  the  forms  already  given,  the  student  should 
arrange  and  punctuate  the  following  exercises. 

1.  Mr.    Lionel    H.    Brown,    344   Gough    St.,    San  Francisco,   1420 
Broadway,  Oakland,  Cal.,  July  15,  1883,  Sir. 

2.  16  of  Sept.,  1883,  Globe  City,  Arizona  Ten,  Mrs.  Jos.  Hoffmann, 
1265  Pine  St.,  New  York,  Madam. 


MARGIN    AND    ADDRESS. 


3.  Honolulu;   H.    I.,   Sept.    2,    1883, — Rev.    Philip    Brown;    New 
Orleans;  La.,  U.  S.  A.— 

4.  Heald's  Business  College;  San  Francisco.  CaL,  July,   10,    1883, 
Messrs:  Duncan  &  Dunn,  Rue  St.  Honore,  Paris;  France;  Gentlemen: — 

5.  1347  Mincing  Lane,  London.,  Eng.  Aug.  7,  1883,  Prof.  Robt.  M. 
Johnson,  Pres.  University  of  North  West,  St.  Paul,  Minn,  Sir: — 

6.  Laurel  Hall,  San  Mateo  Co.,  Cal.,Aug.  24,  1883,  Miss  Josephine 
Green,  Your  letter  of  i6th  inst.  received,  etc. 

7.  Sitka — Alaska   Ter. — Sept.    19,     1883 — Proprietors    New    York 
Tribune,  Gentlemen. 

8.  Use  your  own  location  and  the  present  date  and  begin  a  letter  to 
the  President  of  the  C.  P.  Railroad. 

9.  Liverpool,  Eng.,  Oct.  19,   1883,  Pres.  Grain  Trade  Association, 
San  Francisco,  Cal.,Sir: — 

10.  July  17,  1883,  1008  Broadway,  New  York,  Alexander  Craigmile, 
M.  D.,  14  High  Bridge  Terrace,  Birkenhead,  Eng. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  I  low  wide  and  on  which  side  should  the  margin  be? 

2.  On  what  condition  may  it  be  varied? 

3.  What  of  the  margin  on  small  note  paper? 

4.  Why? 

5.  What  means  maybe  used  to  secure  uniformity? 

6.  What  is  the  address? 

7.  Where  should  it  begin? 

8.  What  exception? 

9.  Where  may  an  official  address  be  placed? 

10.  Where  should  it  begin? 

11.  Where  should  each  line  after  the  first  begin? 

12.  What  of  the  location? 

13.  Where  should  it  be  placed? 

14.  What  is  the  rule  for  punctuation  of  the  address 

15.  What  is  the  complimentary  address? 

16.  Where  should  it  be  placed? 

17.  What  punctuation  is  required? 

1 8.  Where  should  a  title  that  precedes  the  name  be  placed? 

1 9.  What  of  the  city  and  abbreviation  for  the  State  ? 

20.  What  exception? 

21.  Where  should  the  complimentary  address  be  placed? 

22.  What  of  a  title  used  after  a  name? 

23.  When  several  titles  are  used?  . 

24.  Esquire,  how  abbreviated? 

25.  When  used? 

26.  Why  not  use  Mr.  and  Esq.  together? 

27.  What  of  the  State  when  written  on  a  line  alone? 

28.  Why  not  place  the  complimentary  address  to  the  right  of  the  address? 

29.  When  should  this  form  be  used? 


80  LETTER     WRITING. 


30.  What  is  the  position  of  an  official  title? 

31.  What  address  would  be  used  for  a  corporation? 

32.  What  is  said  of  the  use  of  Dear  Sir  or  My  dear  Sir? 

33.  How  should  a  married  woman  be  addressed? 

34.  How  a  widow? 

35.  How  an  unmarried  lady? 

SECTION    III. 
BODY    OF     LETTER. 

The  body  of  the  letter  includes  everything  that  is  given  between  the 
opening  and  closing  of  the  letter,  whether  one  subject  has  been  dis- 
cussed or  many. 

The  position  of  the  beginning  ot  the  body  of  the  letter  is  usually  gov 
erned  by  2the  length  of  the  address.  If  only  one  or  two  lines  are  used 
3the  body  of  the  letter  begins  on  the  next  line  below  the  complimentary 
address  and  a  little  to  the  right,  as: — : 


Or:- 


tae-  &#& 


Although  the  two  preceding  forms  are  in  common  use,  they  are  not 
the  best  forms  for  business  letters,  as  *neither  contains  the  complete 
address  which  should  always  be  given;  as:  — 


BODY    OF  LETTER. 


t  /le-  -fee 


Or:— 


/<?<$£. 


•/>//>,  /    /  y 

£(•  &e.  ftAtd-e-yi'Ce.d'   Id-  MM*, 


\i  either  of  the  above  forms  are  used  there  can  be  no  uncertainty  in 
regard  to  beginning  the  body  of  the  letter:  in  either  case  it  is  to  be 
"immediately  after  the  complimentary  address  and  on  the  same  line. 

Paragraphs  6are  used  to  mark  the  important  divisions  in  a  letter  — 
whether  they  all  refer  to  one  subject,  or  each  to  a  different  subject. 
Each  new  paragraph  'should  begin  three-fourths  of  an  inch  to  the  right 
of  the  margin  line  or  one  and  a  half  inches  from  the  edge  of  the  paper. 
If  the  last  form  given  above  be  used,  every  paragraph  will  begin  directly 
under  the  complimentary  address,  which  is  the  Beginning  of  the  first 
paragraph. 


LETTER     WRITING. 


QUESTIONS. 

1.  Define  body  of  letter. 

2.  Upon  what  does  the  position  of  the  beginning  depend? 

3.  Where  should  it  be  placed  if  only  one  or  two  lines  have  been  used? 

4.  What  objection  to  the  two  forms  given? 

5.  What  is  the  general  rule  for  beginning  the  body  of  the  letter? 

6.  What  is  the  use  of  paragraphs? 

7.  Where  should  they  begin? 

8    What  is  said  of  the  complimentary  address? 

SECTION  IV. 
COMPLIMENTARY   CLOSING   AND   SIGNATURE. 

After  the  body  of  the  letter  is  completed,  it  is  customary  and  therefore 
necessary  to  place  ^ome  word  or  words  indicating  respect  on  the  part  of 
the  writer  for  his  correspondent. 

With  the  exception  of  official  letters  which  may  be  made  very  formal, 
2one  or  two  lines  should  be  sufficient  for  the  complimentary  closing  and 
the  arrangement  3should  correspond  to  that  of  the  heading:  the  'first 
line  beginning  at  or  near  the  center  of  the  page,  on  the  next  line  below 
the  body  of  the  letter,  and  the  second  line,  when  two  are  used, 
'should  begin  three-fourths  of  an  inch  to  the  right  of  the  first.  If  the 
complimentary  closing  is  long  enough  to  fill  two  or  three  lines  6it  may 
be  arranged  as  a  paragraph  and  so  appear  as  a  part  of  the  body  of  the 
letter. 

The  signature — Tname  of  the  writer — 8must  be  written  alone,  9on  the 
next  line  below  the  closing  terms  of  respect,  and  should  end  "near  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  page. 

Three-fourths  of  an  inch  has  been  given  as  the  standard  of  measure- 
ment in  the  heading,  address,  margin,  paragraphing  and  conclusion 
"because  it  is  a  good  medium  and  it  is  necessary  to  maintain  uniformity 
throughout  the  entire  letter.  "The  beginning  of  no  two  lines,  except 
in  the  body  of  the  letter,  should  ever  form  a  vertical  line. 

"The  same  rules  used  for  the  punctuation  of  other  species  of  compo- 
sition, apply  to  the  body  of  the  letter  and  "may  be  found  on  page  30 
of  the  Grammar;  also  on  14page  7,  the  rules  for  the  use  of  capitals. 

The  iscomma  and  period  only  are  used  for  the  punctuation  of  the 
complimentary  closing  and  signature.  The  comma  Barter  each  item  or 
division  except  the  last,  and  the  period  "after  each  abbreviation  and 
after  the  complete  signature. 

Copy  the  following  conclusions  and  compose  five  original  ones. 


COMPLIMENTARY   CLOSING,    ETC. 


83 


'j,n 


2 


tea^ 


Student  should  copy  on  business  note  paper  one  or  more  of  the  follow- 
ing letters,  as  the  teacher  may  direct,  paying  particular  attention  to  the 
general  arrangement  and  punctuation. 


84  LETTER    WRITING. 


Arrangement  of  all  parts  to  be  in  accordance  with  forms  heretofore 
given. 

San  Francisco,  July  24,  1883. 
Messrs.  Smith  &  Co., 
San  Jose,  Cal. 

Gentlemen: — Mr.  C.  C.  Royal,  who  is  leaving  my  employ  on 
account  of  the  coolness  of  this  climate,  has  been  in  my  hardware  store 
for  three  years,  during  which  time  he  has  discharged  every  duty  faith- 
fully, proving  himself  to  be  industrious  and  thoroughly  reliable. 

He  is  an  excellent  business  penman,  and  a  thorough  accountant,  and 
in  case  you  are  needing  an  assistant,  you  cannot  do  better  than  to 
employ  him.  If  you  should  not  need  him  and  can  recommend  him  to 
some  other  business  house  in  your  vicinity,  in  which  he  can  get  a 
lucrative  position,  you  will  confer  a  favor  on, 

Yours  truly, 

(Student's  signature). 

Healdsbtjrg,  Sonoma  Co., 

July  28,  1883. 

Editor  Healths  College  Journal, 
San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Sir: — Please  find  inclosed  One  Dollar  ($i),  for  which  forward  to 
my  address  the  Journal,  for  one  year,  beginning  with  the  next  number. 

Address  to. 
J.  L.  Stanton. 


Auburn,  Placer  Co, 
Cal.,  July  21,  1883. 
J.  W.  Davidson  &  Co., 
San  Francisco,  Cal., 

Gentlemen: — Please  forward  to  my  address  per  Wells,  Fargo  & 
Co.'s  Express,  C.  O.  D.,  the  following: — 
3*£  yds.  Black  Velvet  No.  A. 

3  bolts  Blue  Satin  Ribbon  i  y2  in.  wide. 

4  doz.  Pearl  Buttons,  small  size. 

1 6  yds.  Summer  Silk,  small  checks. 
12  dozen  White  Linen  H'd'k.,  best  quality. 
15  yds.  Torchon  Lace,  2in.  wide. 
Immediate  attention  to  this  order  will  greatly  oblige, 

'Student's  signature). 


FOLDING    OF    LETTER  85 

Bridgeport,  Mono  Co., 

Cal,  Aug.  9,  1883. 
Agent  Home  Mutual  Ins.  Co., 
216  Sansome  St., 
San  Francisco. 

Sir: — I  have  three  lots  with  first-class  buildings  on  them, 
situated  in  the  part  of  your  city  known  as  Hayes  Valley,  which  I  wish 
to  insure  in  your  company. 

Will  direct  my  agent,  C.  S.  Warner,  to  call  on  you,  and  show  you 
the  property,  and  pay  the  premium,  whatever  it  may  be. 

Please  send  me  copy  of  your  special  rates,  as  I  have  some  property 
here  that  I  may  insure  if  the  rates  seem  reasonable. 

Respectfully  yours, 
(Student's  signature). 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  Define  complimentary  closing. 

2.  How  many  lines  necessary? 

3.  To  what  should  it  correspond  in  arrangement? 

4.  Where  should  the  first  line  be  placed  ? 

5.  Where  should  the  second  line  begin  ? 

6.  How  may  the  closing  be  arranged  when  very  long  ? 

7.  What  is  the  signature? 

8.  How  written  ? 

9.  On  what  line  ? 

10.  Where  should  it  end? 

11.  Why  three-fourths  of  an  inch  used  for  standard  of  measurement? 

12.  Whal  general  rule  for  arrangement? 

13.  What  rules  for  punctuating  body  of  letter? 

14.  Where  found  ? 

15.  Where  are  rules  for  use  of  capitals  ? 

16.  What  pauses  used  for  punctuating  the  complimentary  closing? 

17.  When  is  the  comma  used? 

1 8.  When  the  period? 

SECTION  V. 

FOLDING   OF    LETTER. 

The  mere  mechanical  folding  of  a  letter  is  a  matter  of  no  little 
importance,  for  *if  awkwardly  put  together  it  produces  an  impression  ot 
ignorance  or  extreme  carelessness  that  numberless  merits  cannot 
remove.  The  business  man  must  acquire  a  2neat  and  rapid  way  of 
folding  "that  will  leave  his  letter  in  such  form  as  to  give  his  corre- 
spondent the  least  possible  trouble  to  prepare  it  for  reading. 

The  method  of  folding  here  given  has  reference  only  to  Business 
note  paper,  which  is  the  only  paper  suitable  for  business  men;  a  smaller 
size  "would  detract  from  the  dignity  of  the  letter. 


86  LETTER    WRITING. 


Whether  the  letter  consists  of  one  or  more  pages,  'always  have  the 
beginning  or  heading  of  the  letter  facing  you  when  you  begin  to  fold. 
'Turn  the  sheet  up  from  the  bottom  toward  the  top  until  the  length  is 
nearly  that  of  the  envelope.  Next  8fold  the  sheet  from  the  right  toward 
the  left  until  thefotdis  nearly  the  width  of  the  envelope. 

Lastly,  'fold,  whatever  remains  of  the  sheet,  from  the  left  toward  the 
right  over  the  preceding  fold.  The  letter  will  then  be  ready  for  insertion 
in  the  envelope;  but  this  "must  not  be  done  until  the  superscription  has 
been  placed  upon  the  envelope,  for  two  reasons;  first: — "The  envelope 
with  the  letter  in  it  does  not  present  so  good  a  surface  to  write  upon; 
second, — 12If  several  letters  have  been  written  at  once  there  is  a  liability 
of  sending  your  letters  to  the  wrong  persons.  Carelessness  in  this 
respect  has  often  occasioned  absurd  mistakes,  and  occasionally  very 
serious  ones. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  What  is  the  effect  of  a  badly  folded  letter? 

2.  What  manner  of  folding  is  required? 

3.  What  special  effect  to  be  produced? 

4.  What  size  of  paper  is  here  referred  to? 

5.  What  is  said  of  a  smaller  size? 

6.  What  is  the  first  point  to  observe? 

7.  What  is  the  first  fold? 

8.  What  is  the  second? 

9.  What  the  third? 

10.  Should  it  then  be  put  into  the  envelope? 

11.  What  is  the  first  objection? 

12.  What  the  second? 

SECTION  VI. 
SUPERSCRIPTION. 

The  superscription — Hhat  which  is  written  upon  the  outside  of  the 
envelope — is  to  a  certain  extent  2the  most  important  point  in  letter 
writing.  The  superscription  shas  produced  an  impression — favorable  or 
unfavorable — that  can  never  be  entirely  eradicated  by  anything  else, 
before  the  letter  has  been  seen. 

With  a  little  care  every  one  may  acquire  a  good  superscription,  for 
'fine  penmanship  is  not  an  essential,  although  it  is  power  that  should  not 
be  lightly  estimated. 

It  is  essential  though  that  the  address  should  be  ^distinctly  written 
and  neatly  placed. 

A  general  rule — as  nearly  as  one  can  be  given  that  will  apply  to  all 
cases — is  to  "place  the  name  of  the  person  addressed  a  little  below  the 
center  of  the  envelope  so  that  a  line  drawn  through  the  center  of  the 
envelope  would  form  a  head  line  for  the  small  letters.  'The  space  on 


SUPERSCRIPTION.  87 


the  left  of  the  name  should  be  about  the  same  as  that  on  the  right. 
The  other  lines,  whether  there  be  two  or  more,  'should  slant  gradually 
toward  the  right,  each  being,  when  the  length  of  the  items  will  permit, 
about  three-fourths  of  an  inch  to  the  right  of  the  preceding  one. 

The  *last  should  end  near  the  right-hand  lower  corner,  about  one- 
fourth  of  an  inch  from  the  right-hand  side  and  the  same  distance  from 
the  bottom.  If  one  item  is  placed  in  the  lower  left-hand  corner  "it 
should  also  be  one-fourth  of  an  inch  from  the  left-hand  side,  and  the 
same  distance  from  the  bottom. 

The  "comma  and  period  are  the  only  points  used  in  punctuating  the 
superscription. The  "comma  after  each  item  except  the  last,  and  the 
"period  after  each  abbreviation  and  the  last  item. 


88 


LETTER    WRITING. 


This  superscription  consists  of  four  distinct  items.  Name  of  person, 
of  town,  of  county,  and  of  state.  The  comma  between  Jones  and  Esq. 
is  in  accordance  with  the  rule  that,  14a  title  placed  after  a  name  must  be 
separated  from  it  by  a  comma.  The  second  item — name  of  town — 
being  quite  short  is  carried  to  the  right  of  a  point  that  would  be  on  a 
line  drawn  from  the  first  to  the  last  item.  The  position  of  items  com- 
ing between  the  first  and  last  should  be  governed  by  their  length. 


SUPEXSCJiJPrtON. 


89 


In  this  diagram  15the  name  and  number  of  the  street  take  the  place 
of  the  county  in  the  preceding  diagram.  The  second  item — San  Fran- 
cisco— is  begun  to  the  left  of  the  iine^  of  uniform  slant  on  account  of 
its  length,  which  would  bring  it  too  near  the  right-hand  side  if  it  should 
begin  on  a  line  between  the  first  item  and  the  last. 


90 


LETTER    WRITING. 


"I 


This  diagram  represents  the  manner  in  which  the  superscription 
should  be  given  for  a  letter  of  introduction.  16The  word  introducing 
and  the  name  of  the  person  for  whom  the  letter  is  written  are  placed  in 
the  lower  left-hand  corner.  The  other  items  are  exactly  the  same  in 
substance  and  arrangement  that  «they  would  be  if  the  letter  were  to  be 
sent  through  the  mail.  The  title  coming  before  the  name  is  not 
separated  from  it  by  the  comma. 


SUPERSCRIPTION. 


17The  city  being  well  known  it  is  unnecessary  to  give  the  county. 


D2 


LETTER    WRITING. 


1  B 


This  superscription  consists  of  five  distinct  items.  18The  name  of 
the  person  with  titles,  of  university,  of  city,  of  country,  and  of  district. 
The  last  is  a  very  important  item  in  English  superscriptions. 

Although  the  use  of  abbreviations  is  so  common  in  writing  the 
names  of  the  states,  it  is  best  to  write  the  name  in  full  in  addressing  to 
distant  states. 


SUPERSCRIPTION.  93 

If  the  last  item —  England — in  the  above  diagram  had  been  abbre 
viated,  the  left  slant  could  not  have  been  kept  uniform,  for  the  second 
and  third  items  would  have  been  too  long,  and  if  placed  on  a  line 
drawn  from  the  first  to  the  last  item  would  have  extended  too  far  to  the 
right.  If  by  writing  the  name  of  the  state  or  country  in  full  the  left 
slant  can  be  kept  uniform,  it  should  be  done  even  when  the  abbrevia- 
tion is  well  known. 

If  the  student  will  study  carefully  the  foregoing  diagrams,  apply- 
ing the  rules  foi  punctuation,  he  need  never  be  in  doubt  as  to  the 
proper  punctuation  of  a  superscription  after  the  items  are  arranged. 

In  arranging  the  superscription,  the  position  of  some  items  should 
never  deviate  from  the  rule.  The  name  or  names  addressed  should  be 
placed  a  little  below  the  center  and  equidistant  from  the  left  side  and  the 
right.  The  last  item  should  always  end  one-fourth  of  an  inch  from  the 
right  edge,  and  the  same  distance  from  the  bottom.  An  item  placed  in 
the  left-hand  lower  corner  should  begin  one-fourth  of  an  inch  from  the  left 
edge  and  the  same  distance  from  the  bottom.  The  stamp  should  always 
occupy  the  upper  right-hand  corner.  The  items  between  the  first  and 
last  vary  in  position  according  to  their  length.  The  special  request  for 
letters  to  be  returned,  usually  printed  on  business  envelopes,  is  placed 
across  the  left  end  or  in  the  upper  left-hand  corner  of  the  envelope. 

Among  business  men  there  is  to  some  extent  19a  tendency  to  drop 
all  titles,  especially  those  of  courtesy.  This  practice  ^should  not  be 
countenanced,  for  not  only  does  "politeness  demand  that  you  should 
accord  all  possible  honor  to  your  correspondent,  but  Min  many  cases 
the  title  helps  to  identify  when  both  Christian  and  surname  are  too 
common  to  be  distinctive. 

The  titles  most  commonly  used  will  be  particularly  noticed  in  Chap- 
ter IV. 

Arrange  the  following  items  for  superscriptions,  on  business-size 
note  paper,  ruling  figures  similar  to  the  diagrams  to  represent  envelopes. 
After  each  one  is  completed,  examine  carefully  to  see  that  the  punctua- 
tion is  in  every  respect  correct: — 

1.  Daniel  Clark  Esq.  Salem  Oregon. 

2.  Major  General  H.  T.  Powers,  U.  S.  A.  Washington  District  of 
Columbia. 

3.  Lieutenant   Commander   B.    M.    Bronson   U.  S.    N.    Baltimore 
Maryland. 

4.  John  Lyons — D.  D.  S. — Casey,  Guthrie  Co — Iowa. 

5.  Mrs.  Wm.  M.  Lane,  Clarendon,  New  South  Wales. 

6.  Mrs.  W.  F.  Bell,  Atlanta,  Georgia  ion  Clay  St. — 

7.  Messrs.  Coleman  &  Sons  P.  O.  Box  1549  Louisville,  Kentucky. 


94  LETTER    WRITING. 


8.  Messrs.  Colton  &  Hayne,  93  Howgate  Hill  Upper  Thames  Street 
London — England. 

9.  To  the  President,  Executive  Mansion,  Washington,  D.  C. 

10.  His  Excellency,  Gov.  Grant,  Executive  Chamber  Denver,  Col. 
xi.  Hon.  W.  H.  Hillyer,  Consul  U.  S.  A.,  Rio  Janeiro  Brazil. 
12.  Prof.  W.  D.  Whitney,  Yale  College,  New  Haven,  Conn. 
Give  five  original  examples  similar  to  the  above. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  Define  superscription. 

2.  What  is  said  of  its  importance? 

3.  Why? 

4.  What  is  said  of  fine  penmanship? 

5.  What  two  things  essential? 

6.  What  is  first  point  to  observe  in  placing  superscriptions? 

7.  What  the  second? 
S.  What  the  third? 

9.  What  should  be  the  position  of  the  last  item? 

10.  What  of  an  item  in  the  lower  left-hand  corner? 

11.  What  points  used  in  punctuating  the"  superscription? 

12.  When  is  the  comma  used? 

13.  When  the  period? 

14.  What  of  a  title  placed  after  a  name  ? 

15.  What  of  number  and  name  of  street? 

1 6.  What  of  superscription  for  letter  of  introduction? 

17.  What  is  said  of  diagram  No.  4? 

1 8.  What  items  in  diagram  5  ? 

19.  What  tendency  among  business  men? 

20.  What  is  said  of  it? 

21.  What  is  first  reason  given? 

22.  What  the  second? 

SECTION  VII. 
INSERTION    AND    STAMP. 

The  envelope  and  letter  both  being  now  completed,  the  'letter  must 
be  placed  properly  in  the  envelope.  Take  the  envelope  in  the  left 
hand  with  the  lap  pointing  toward  the  points  of  the  fingers,  the  opening 
up,  then  with  the  right  hand  take  the  letter  with  the  last  folded  edge 
up,  and  without  changing  the  position  of  either  slip  it  into  the  en- 
velope. Next  'seal  the  envelope  carefully  and  'place  the  stamp,  as 
indicated  in  the  diagram,  in  the  upper  right-hand  corner,  about  5one- 
eighth  of  an  inch  from  the  top,  and  the  same  distance  from  the  right 
edge. 

In  all  letters  that  demand  an  answer,  referring  solely  to  the  personal 
business  of  the  writer,  'a  stamp  should  be  inclosed.  It  will  often 
insure  an  answer  that  would  never  otherwise  be  received. 


POSTAL-CARDS   AND    TELEGRAMS.  95 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  What  is  the  next  step  after  the  superscription  and  letter  are  completed? 

2.  Give  complete  directions  for  insertion. 

3.  What  next? 

4.  Then  what? 

5.  How  far  from  top  and  edge  of  envelope? 

6.  What  of  letters  referring  solely  to  personal  business? 

SECTION  VIII. 
POSTAL-CARDS   AND   TELEGRAMS. 

The  superscription  'should  always  be  placed  upon  a  postal-card 
before  the  communication  is  written  upon  the  other  side.  This  caution 
is  considered  necessary  from  the  fact  that  it  is  usually  on  occasions 
demanding  special  haste  that  the  postal  is  used,  and  hence  it  is  of 
frequent  occurrence  that  the  superscription  is  omitted,  and  the  postal 
never  reaches  its  destination.  The  "location  and  date  should  always 
be  given  on  a  postal-card,  and  3may  be  placed  in  the  right-hand  corner 
at  the  top  or  the  left-hand  corner  at  the  bottom.  The  address  and 
complimentary  closing  may  be  omitted  unless  the  communication  is  so 
short  as  not  to  occupy  all  the  space  allotted  to  it.  sNever  write  any- 
thing  on  a  postal  that  you  are  not  willing  for  every  one  to  know.  "Un- 
less well  known  to  your  correspondent,  give  our  signature  in  full. 

Telegrams  7should  be  as  directly  to  the  point  as  the  use  of  the  fewest 
words  possible  can  make  them.  8Omit  the  complimentary  address  and 
also  the  complimentary  closing.  Use  no  abbreviations. 

For  the  exercises,  rule  figures  the  proper  size  for  p<  tals  on  business 
letter-paper. 

1.  Write  to  Messrs.  Vick  &  Co.,  Washington,  D.  C.,  stating  that  you 
would  like  for  them  to  send  you  some  good,  fresh  garden-seeds,  to  be 
sold  on  commission.     That  you  would  not  take  anything  that  was  not 
perfectly  reliable,  and  they  must  be  done  up  in  papers  ready  for  the 
retail  market. 

2.  Write  Messrs.  Vick  &  Co.'s  answer  to  the  above,  in  which  they, 
say  that  they  can  only  ship  seeds  to  strangers  C.  O.  D.,  but  will  fill 
any  order  you  may  send  them,  on  your  own  terms,  provided  you  can 
furnish  some  reliable  reference  in  Washington.     Address  to  yourself, 

/0  L.  J.  Hunt. 

3.  Write  to  Leonard  &  Co.,  Washington,  D.  C.,  with  whom   you 
have  an  intimate  acquaintance,  asking  them  to  furnish  Vick  &  Co. 
with  the  required  testimonials. 

4.  Write  postal  to  Heald's    Business  College,  San  Francisco,  Cnl., 
asking  for  information  in  regard  to  the  character  of  a  graduate  who 
has  applied  to  you  for  position  as  entry  clerk. 


96  LETTER    WRITING. 


5.  Write  postal  to  H.  E.  Hibbard,  Bryant  &  Stratton  Business  Col- 
lege, Boston,  Mass.,  asking  for  information  regarding  school. 

6.  Write  telegraphic  message  to  Ivison,  Blakeman,  Taylor  &  Co., 
New  York,  ordering  3  doz.  Webster's  Dictionaries  (unabridged),  sent 
to  your  address  C.  O.  D. 

7.  Write  telegraphic  message  to  Palmer  House,  Chicago,  111.,  order- 
ing suite  of  rooms  for  isth  prox. 

8.  Send  telegraphic  order  amounting  to  $136.50  to  M.  N.  Pierson, 
Richmond,  Va. 

9.  Order  by  telegraph  from  LaRue  &  Co.,  St.  Augustine,  Florida, 
one  bunch  ripe  bananas,  fifteen  boxes  oranges,  and  five  hundred  limes, 
to  be  sent  by  express  immediately. 

10.  Write  telegram  to  W  D.  Allison,  319  State  St.,  Chicago,  asking 
if  he  will  accept   position  of  traveling  salesman  for  Grim  &  Co.,  of 
Sacramento,  Cal.,  at  salary  of  $3,000  per  year. 

11.  Write  five  original  telegrams. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  What  of  superscription  of  postal-card? 

2.  What  should  always  be  given? 

3.  What  two  forms  for  placing  the  location  and  date? 

4.  What  of  the  address  and  complimentary  closing. 

5.  What  caution  given? 

6.  What  in  regard  to  signature? 

7.  What  of  telegrams? 

8.  What  should  be  omitted? 

CHAPTER  II. 

SECTION  I. 
PERSPICUITY. 

The  first  requisite  of  good  composition  is,  'that  it  should  be  perfectly 
clear  and  neither  above  nor  below  the  dignity  of  the  subject-matter. 

Clearness— perspicuity — depends  2not  alone  on  the  choice  of  words 
•  but  on  the  construction  and  arrangement  of  the  sentences.  In  making 
choice  of  words,  use  care  to  "select  as  many  as  possible  of  Saxon  origin; 
*for  they  are  most  in  use,  and  therefore  best  understood  by  the  middle 
and  lower  grades  of  society.  5Select  nouns  and  verbs  from  those  in 
common  use,  and  the  effect  of  clearness  will  then  be  produced  even  if 
the  modifying  words  are  uncommon,  compound,  or  newly  coined.  6It 
is  always  allowable  and  often  especially  desirable  to  produce  a  more 
elevated  and  elegant  style  than  the  use  of  ordinary  words  will  effect, 
but  it  must  be  done  by  the  modifying,  and  not  the  principal  words. 

The  clearness  of  a  sentence  'does  not  depend  upon  its  length  nor 
upon  the  punctuation  but  on  its  arrangement.  8The  predicate  should 


PERSPICUITY.  97 


be  placed  near  the  subject  even  in  long  sentences,  'so  that  the  idea  to 
be  conveyed  in  each  part  may  be  taken  in  at  once  and  the  connection 
to  the  whole  be  seen  clearly  as  we  proceed.  19If  many  clauses  are 
placed  between  the  subject  and  predicate,  and  the  meaning  is  not 
complete  until  near  the  end  of  the  sentence,  it  cannot  be  easily  under- 
stood. Compare  the  two  sentences  following  and  see  which  is  clearer: 
"It  is  not  without  a  degree  of  patient  attention  and  persevering  dili- 
gence, greater  than  the  generality  are  willing  to  bestow,  though  not 
greater  than  the  object  deserves,  that  the  habit  can  be  acquired  of  ex- 
amining and  judging  of  our  own  conduct  with  the  same  accuracy  and 
impartiality  as  that  of  another."  "The  habit  of  examining  our  own 
conduct  as  accurately  as  that  of  another,  and  judging  of  it  with  the 
same  impartiality,  cannot  be  acquired  without  a  degree  of  patient  atten- 
tion and  persevering  diligence,  not  greater  indeed  than  the  object  de- 
serves, but  greater  than  the  generality  are  willing  to  bestow." 

Inexperienced  writers  should  observe  the  following  points:  i.  "Avoid 
the  frequent  use  of  participles;  2.  12Be  careful  to  select  suitable  con- 
nectives, especially  in  cases  in  which  they  should  be  correlative;  3. 
"Never  use  long  parentheses,  and  seldom  use  short  ones;  4.  "Place 
adverbs  so  there  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  what  they  modify;  15by  an  im. 
proper  position  they  may  be  made  to  qualify  a  wrong  word  and  convey 
a  meaning  totally  different  from  that  intended.  The  same  caution 
should  be  observed  in  using  adverbial  or  prepositional  phrases.  5. 
l6Never  use  a  pronoun — either  personal  or  relative — when  there  can  be 
any  doubt  as  to  its  antecedent.  The  relative  pronoun  is  more  re- 
stricted in  position  than  the  personal  pronoun,  and  having  but  little  to 
mark  its  connection  with  its  antecedent  "should  follow  the  antecedent 
as  closely  as  possible,  and  always  in  the  same  sentence.  The  personal 
pronoun  more  nearly  resembling  the  noun  18may  be  used  at  a  greater 
distance,  either  in  the  same  or  a  subsequent  sentence.  If  19one  or  more 
sentences  have  intervened  the  noun  should  be  repeated.  2*Clear  ex- 
pression can  only  come  from  clear  thinking.  21Clear  thinking  can  be 
acquired  neither  by  indolence  nor  by  haste.  22Think  quickly,  for  quick- 
ness may  be  acquired  without  detracting  from  carefulness,  but  never 
think  hastily.  23Haste  arises  from  indolence.  The  indolent  mind 
when  forced  to  decision  Mgrasps  and  usually  obstinately  retains  the  first 
view  of  the  subject  presented,  "'because  this  requires  less  effort  than  to 
give  careful  consideration  to  all  modifying  circumstances,  to  weigh 
justly  their  influences  upon  the  whole,  and  to  reach  a  correct  conclusion 
that  may  appear  directly  opposed  to  the  preliminary  decision. 

Overcome  every  inclination  toward  carelessness;  think  clearly  and 
clear  sentences  must  result. 


98  LETTER    WRITING. 


Notice  all  errors  in  the  following  letter: — 

New  York,  July  18,  1882. 
Mr.  G.  Hastings, 

731  Sixth  Ave.,  New  York. 

Dear  Sir: — Understanding  that  you  have  a  great  deal  of  experience 
in  business  life,  I  would  like  to  beg  some  information  from  you  in  that 
line.  And  also  I  would  like  to  know  what  advantage  to  put  myself  to 
through  life. 

As  I  am  now  going  to  college,  I  am  not  quite  ready  to  take  any  situ- 
ation that  may  be  vacated. 

I  am  also  in  the  dark  to  know  what  course  to  take  when  I  get 
through  school.  If  I  am  not^  asking  too  great  a  favor  from  you,  I 
would  like  to  have  your  opinion  in  the  matter,  and  I  think  that  it  would 
be  of  great  advantage  to  me. 

Hoping  that  you  may  favor  me  I  remain, 
Yours  respectfully, 

All  that  is  contained  in  the  above  letter  could  have  been  given  in 
one-half  the  space  used  if  the  sentences  had  been  clear  and  there  had 
been  no  repetition.  Students  should  correct  all  errors  in  the  above 
and  rewrite  making  it  as  concise  as  possible. 


Pittsburg,  Penn.,  Feb.  7,  1883. 
Messrs.  Young  and  Norton, 
68  Broome  St.,  New  York. 

Gentlemen: — Yours  of  the  3d  inst.  was  quite  a  surprise  as  I  had 
not  referred  to  your  letter  of  Dec.  that  contained  the  check  since  re- 
ceived and  had  no  idea  but  that  the  13  dollars  for  said  casks  was  col- 
lected at  that  time  or  I  should  of  rectified  it  before  this  as  it  was  not 
noticed  by  me  but  the  mistake  was  yours  and  not  mine  as  your  letter 
at  that  time  proves  on  the  bill  rendered  at  that  time  the  freight  and 
charges  with  the  13  dollars  for  the  cask  returned  were  all  on  the  bill 
but  not  properly  deducted  then  it  says  net  29.75  I  never  gave  it  a  sec- 
ond thought  but  am  pleased  to  correct  any  mistake  that  concerns  me 
you  will  please  present  said  bill  to  A.  Jacobs  &  Co.  my  agents  and  they 
will  please  pay  the  same  for  me  and  charge  the  same  to  my  account 
thirteen  dollars. 

Yours  respectfully,  D.  C.  Smithson. 

Correct  all  errors  in  the  foregoing  letter,  rearranging'  and  dividing 
into  separate  and  complete  sentences. 


PERSPICUITY.  90 


St.  Paul,  Minn.,  Oct.  10,  1882. 
Allen  &  Rice, 

30  Lafayette  Place,  New  York. 

Gentlemen: — Your  letter  came  to-day  and  I  will  answer  your  letter. 
I  failed  in  the  stationery  business  and  came  out  eight  hundred  dollars 
in  debt  so  I  am  in  no  condition  to  pay  you  or  any  one  else.  I  am 
very  sorry  I  owe  you  as  I  have  nothing  to  pay  with.  I  could  not  pay 
expenses  with  the  price  I  got  for  my  stationery.  I  can't  to-day  pay  one 
farthing  on  the  dollar  to  any  person,  which  I  am  very  sorry  to  say, 
hoping  this  will  be  some  satisfaction  to  you  until  I  can  do  something 
more  satisfactory  for  you. 

Yours  truly,  Ross  Turner. 

Rewrite  the  above,  making  all  necessary  corrections  and  changes  in 
construction. 

Las  Vegas,  New  Mexico  T.,  March  i,  1883. 
Green  &  Brewer 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Gentlemen: — Please  send  me  by  the  next  express  5  boxes  of  Flor- 
ida oranges  and  with  about  200  oranges  in  a  box,  50  Ibs.  of  Eastern 
Peanuts  and  send  by  express  a  box  of  limes  if  they  could  be  got  at  the 
lowest  rates  of  market  prices. 

Yours  truly,  A.  Langdon. 

P.  S.  I  was  pricing  your  goods  three  weeks  ago.  If  you  send  the 
things  the  money  is  ready  for  you.  Send  an  answer  to  me  immediately 
so  I  won't  get  disappointed  by  the  first  return  mail.  A.  L. 

Correct  the  above  letter  and  include  all  that  is  necessary  in  the  letter, 

omitting  the  postscript. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  What  is  the  first  requisite  of  good  composition? 

2.  On  what  does  clearness  depend? 

3.  What  class  of  words  should  be  chosen  ? 

4.  Why? 

5-  What  of  the  nouns  and  verbs  chosen? 

6.  How  can  a  more  elegant   style   be   produced    without  detracting  from  the 
clearness? 

7.  What  is  of  more  importance  in  a  sentence  than  the  length  or  punctuation? 

8.  What  of  the  predicate? 

9.  Why? 

10.  What  is  the  effect  of  many  clauses? 

11.  What  is  the  first  caution  for  inexperienced  writers? 

12.  What  is  the  second  caution? 


lUO  LETTER    WPITING. 


13.  What  is  the  third? 

14.  Whatofadverbs? 

1 5.  What  effect  is  produced  by  wrong  position  ? 

16.  What  is  said  of  pronouns? 

17.  What  of  the  relative  pronoun? 

18.  What  of  the  personal  pronoun? 

19.  What  should  be  done  if  one  or  more  sentences  have  intervened  ? 

20.  What  of  clear  expression  ? 

21.  What  is  said  of  clear  thinking? 

22.  Is  it  best  to  think  quickly? 

23.  What  produces  haste? 

24.  What  is  said  of  an  indolent  mind? 

25.  Why? 

CHAPTER  III. 

SECTION  I. -BREVITY. 

'Brevity  must  be  observed  so  far  as  it  is  consistent  with  clearness. 
In  a  business  letter  2never  use  an  unnecessary  word;  but  3never  omit  a 
word  or  phrase  for  the  sake  of  brevity  that  would  make  the  meaning 
clearer.  4A  brief  letter  may  not  always  be  a  short  letter.  The  subject 
may  contain  many  divisions,  each  of  which  may  be  treated  of  in  a  few 
short  sentences,  and  yet  the  whole  may  produce  a  letter  of  many  pages. 

The  length  of  a  letter  should  depend  entirely  "upon  the  subject. 
r Inexperienced  v.riters  should  avoid  long  sentences,  but  must  not  make 
their  sentences  too  short;  for  "very  short  sentences  produce  an  abrupt 
and  disconnected  style. 

'Business  letters  should  never  be  combined  with  social  letters.  "If 
it  is  thought  desirable  to  treat  of  subjects  not  strictly  connected  with 
business,  do  so,  but  in  a  separate  letter. 

"The  most  desirable  qualities  for  a  business  letter — brevity  and  dig- 
nity— would  detract  from  a  good  social  letter;  hence  the  impossibility 
of  combining  the  two  without  marring  each. 

"Brevity  may  be  assisted  to  a  great  extent  by  precision  in  the  choice 
of  words. 

Precision — "accuracy — cannot  be  too  carefully  studied.  14The  right 
word  will  usually  convey  the  idea  more  clearly  than  ten  other  words 
that  may  appear  somewhat  synonymous. 

The  student  should  study  the  subject  of  MISUSED  WORDS — beginning 
15on  page  42  of  the  Grammar-^which  will  give  him  an  idea  of  what  is 
contained  in  the  definition  of  precision.  One  example  here  will  probably 
be  sufficient  for  illustration.  Take  the  four  words,  surprised,  astonished, 
amazed,  and  confounded.  16We  are  surprised  only  at  what  is  new  or 
unexpected;  we  are  astonished  at  what  is  vast  or  great;  we  are  amazed 
at  what  is  incomprehensible;  we  are  confounded  by  what  is  shocking 


BREVITY.  101 


or  terrible.  Unlike  as  these  words  actually  are,  we  hear  them  used 
interchangeably  continually. 

"Make  a  business  letter  as  directly  to  the  point  as  possible.  If  you 
have  a  favor  to  ask,  18do  it  in  the  very  first  sentence,  and  let  whatever 
you  have  to  say  of  excuse  or  compliment  follow  the  petition.  Your 
correspondent  will  credit  you  with  more  manliness  and  grant  the 
required  favor  far  more  readily  than  if  you  had  filled  three  or  four  pages 
with  fulsome  compliment  and  flattery,  and  then  betrayed  your  object 
by  asking  a  favor  at  the  close.  Make  your  sentences  as  strong  as  possi- 
ble lfby  using  care  in  placing  the  important  words.  MNever  close  a 
sentence  with  a  weak  or  unimportant  word,  as  an  adverb  or  preposition, 
but  with  a  word  that  will  convey  some  definite  idea.  "Novel  reading  is 
a  species  of  intemperance  which  many  persons  are  guilty  of,  is  not 
nearly  so  strong  as,  Novel  reading  is  a  species  of  intemperance  of  which 
many  persons  are  guilty. 

Notice  all  errors  in  the  following  letter  and  rewrite,  making  the 
answer  as  brief  and  direct  as  possible,  omitting  all  that  is  not  strictly  in 
accordance  with  a  good  business  letter. 

Galveston,  Texas., 

July  1 8,  1883. 
Messrs.  Hamilton  &  Morris, 
3015  Cedar  St.,  New  York. 

Gentlemen : — Your  letter  inclosing  Account  Sales  and  Draft, 
came  safe. — I  have  confidence  in  you  to  believe  you  did  the  best  that 
could  be  done  under  the  circumstances,  and  I  am  satisfied. — I  had 
been  offered  230  a  pound  at  home,  by  an  agent. — So  far  I  have  gained 
a  little  by  shipping. — To-morrow,  if  the  day  be  fit,  (it  is  raining  beauti- 
fully to-night,  thank  the  Lord!),  I  will  send  15  sacks  more  of  the  same 
sort  of  cotton  to  the  landing  (three  miles)  to  be  shipped  by  first  steamer 
to  you. — I  will  also  ship  100  boxes  of  raisins  and  if  you  think  there  is 
no  danger  of  worms  (a  man  told  me  he  had  known  lots  of  raisins, 
shipped  late,  to  be  destroyed  by  worms. — Is  there  risk  in  it?),  take 
your  own  time  in  selling,  and  do  just  the  best  for  me  you  can. — I  have 
no  other  instructions  to  give  you. — I  have  full  confidence  in  youi 
ability  to  sell  and  in  your  honor  that  you  will  make  correct  returns! — I 
have  not  much  produce  this  year,  but  will  have  more  each  succeeding; 
and  if  you  continue  to  do  well  for  me,  you  are  the  men  who  shall  sell  it 
all.  When  I  find  a  good  friend,  I  always  stick  to  him  pretty  closely! 
— Next  year  I  shall  have  60  acres  of  cotton,  instead  of  20,  as  this  year. 
Then  soon  150  acres,  and  by  and  by  shall  have  1,000  acres  of  cotton 
and  the  fruit  from  one  thousand  orange  and  lemon  trees  that  I  have 
just  planted.  Almost  all  of  this  work  has  been  done,  so  far,  by  my  own 


102  LETTER    WRITING. 


two  hands  (my  own  right  hand  and  left  hand  I  mean!). — I  came  here 
broken  down  in  health  by  work  in  the  counting-room  of  a  large  estab- 
lishment in  Baltimore.  Now  I  can  work  thus!  I  am  pretty  poor,  but 
will  not  always  be  so!  Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow!  Do 
your  duty  by  me,  Gentlemen,  and  you  will  always  find  a  friend  in, 

Yours  truly, 
John  Grayson. 

The  main  points  in  the  above  letter  are,  first,  that  the  Account  Sales 
was  received,  and  was  satisfactory;  second,  that  he  expected  to  ship 
more  cotton;  third,  that  he  would  ship  raisins  to  be  sold  at  the  discre- 
tion of  the  consignees.  It  may  sometimes  be  advantageous  to  the  con- 
signor to  establish  a  strong  feeling  of  sympathy  for  himself  in  the  con- 
signee, by  an  account  of  his  struggles  and  successes,  but  he  should 
do  it  in  a  social  and  not  a  business  letter. 

Trenton,  July  4,  1883. 

Dear  Sir: — Your  kind  note  (containing  a  check  for  $15,  the  balance 
due  me  on  your  bill  of  goods),  of  the  twentieth  proximo  was  received 
by  me  in  due  course  of  mail.  -It  found  me  in  the  enjoyment  of  a 
tolerable  good  state  of  health,  and  I  most  ardently,  sincerely,  and 
earnestly  hope  that  these  few  lines  will  find  you  enjoying  the  same  great 
blessing. 

This  is  my  3d  letter  to  you. 

I  am  yours  very  respectfully, 

Mr.  Edwin  Booth. 

Student  should  be  required  to  rewrite  the  above,  giving  all  necessary 
corrections,  and  the  reason  for  each  correction.  The  errors  demand 
special  attention,  for  they  are  of  frequent  occurrence. 

Hawleyton,  Broome  Co., 

New  York,  Jan.  i,  1883. 
Russell,  Hawkins  &  Co., 
47  Cherry  St.,  New  York. 

Sirs: — Not  long  ago  a  friend  of  mine,  that  I  can  indeed  call  a 
friend,  for  I  have  known  him  for  twenty  years,  and  he  has  always  done 
me  a  favor  when  he  could,  he  came  to  see  me  and  as  I  was  just  ready 
to  sell  my  crop  of  grain — wheat  and  barley  both  and  just  the  very  best 
wheat  and  barley  that  ever  anybody  saw — why  I  asked  him  how  the 
grain  market  was.  You  see  he  had  just  been  down  to  New  York  on  a 
visit,  and  as  he  is  a  right  practical  sort  of  fellow,  I  allowed  that  he  had 
found  out  about  all  that  was  worth  knowing  down  there.  Well  says  he 
I  can  just  tell  you  what  is  the  very  best  thing  you  can  do,  too  quick. 


BREVITY.  103 


I  got  acquainted  with  Mr.  Russell  while  I  was  down  there — he  belongs 
to  the  firm  of  Russell,  Hawkins  &  Co., — grain  merchants — and  they 
either  buy  at  the  highest  market  price  or  you  can  ship  your  grain  to 
them  and  they  will  store  it  for  you,  and  watch  the  market  and  sell  it 
for  you  on  commission  when  prices  rise.  I  would  advise  you  to  ship 
your  grain  now  and  let  them  hold  it  for  a  rise. 

All  right  says  I — you  have  always  given  me  good  paying'advice  and  I 
am  not  going  back  on  it  now.  So  he  gave  me  your  address  and  said  I 
had  better  write  to  you  fight  away.  Now  if  you  gents  will  just  do  the 
very  best  you  can  for  me  I'll  give  you  all  my  patronage  every  year  and 
will  use  my  influence  in  this  neighborhood,  and  I  have  a  good  deal  I 
can  assure  you,  to  get  all  the  trade  here  for  you.  I  will  have  a  hun- 
dred acres  in  grain  next  year  any  way  and  perhaps  a  hundred  and  ten;  so- 
you  see  it  will  be  to  your  advantage  to  secure  me  for  a  customer.  I 
forgot  to  tell  you  that  my  friend's  name  is  Edward  Perkins;  everybody 
around  here  for  fifteen  miles  knows  Ed.  Perkins.  My  grain  is  in  the 
granary  at  present  and  is  not  sacked.  I  need  500  sacks. 

Now  if  you  will  send  me  sacks  and  wait  until  the  grain  is  sold  for 
payment,  it  will  greatly  oblige  me  and  I  will  have  no  hesitation  in 
using  my  influence  for  you  and  telling  others  what  you  have  done  for 
me.  Now  if  you  will  accommodate  me  in  regard  to  the  sacks  it  will 
be  sure  to  secure  the  whole  neighborhood  for  you,  for  we  are  clannish 
fellows  and  help  one  another  and  are  always  glad  to  get  acquainted 
with  a  fellow  that  is  willing  to  help  us  all,  and  take  his  chances  for 
getting  paid.  That  about  chances  is  a  joke,  for  I  tell  you  what,  we  are 
solid  men,  we  are. 

We  are  plain  kind  of  folks  here,  but  we  know  when  we  are  well 
treated.  Write  to  me  soon  please  and  tell  me  just  what  you  will  do. 

Hoping  to  hear  from  you  in  the  near  future,  and  to  hear  favorably 
too,  I  am  now  and  forever  your  friend 

Walter  Bowen,  Esqr. 

Rewrite  the  above,  omitting  everything  not  strictly  business;  put 
it  in  as  few  words  as  you  can  and  address  to 

Russell,  Hawkins  &  Co., 

Grain  Merchants, 
67  Cherry  St.  New  York. 

Punta  Arenas,  Mendocino  Co., 

Cal.,  June  30,  1883. 
President  Union  Tel.  Co., 
127  Montgomery  St., 

San  Francisco. 
Honored   Sir:     Notwithstanding   the    fact    that   we   are   personally 


10-4  LETTER     WRITING. 


unacquainted,  I  consider  myself  at  liberty — because  of  the  prominence 
of  your  professional  position — to  apply  to  you  as  to  a  well-known  and 
trusted  friend,  and  I  shall,  therefore,  write  to  you  as  fully  as  if  I  had 
already  received  your  assurance  to  this  effect. 

Why  should  you  stand  at  the  head  of  your  department,  if  you  are  not 
to  give  all  who  apply  to  you  a  full,  free,  and  unprejudiced  hearing  ?  I 
say  "to  all,"  but  this  may,  perhaps,  require  some  modification.  Were 
all  applicants  as  deserving  of  your  undivided  attention  as  am  I,  the 
clause  might  stand  as  written — but  that  can  hardly  be  expected. 

I,  Sir,  am  a  retired  army  officer,  whose  exploits  on  behalf  of  his 
country  would  fill  a  volume;  and  if,  as  I  dare  say  will  be  the  case,  you 
wish  to  hear  more  of  my  military  abilities  than  properly  belong  to  a 
business  letter,  I  shall  be  only  too  glad  to  oblige  you  in  return  for  the 
present  favor  you  are  about  to  confer  on  me,  which  is,  as  perhaps  I 
should  have  said  before,  to  interest  yourself  in  my  daughter. 

Jane,  Sir,  is  a  remarkable  girl,  the  representative  in  feminine  form  of 
many  of  the  characteristics  that  have  distinguished  her  father.  Having 
already  chained  your  interest,  so  to  speak,  I  will  tell  you  with  all  the 
confidence  I  would  use  in  speaking  to  one  of  my  intimate  friends  who 
had  also  been  a  companion  in  arms,  that  our  financial  affairs  are  not 
now  what  they  used  to  be;  this  I  will  explain  to  you  at  length  at  some 
other  time. 

As  I  do  not  wish  to  intrude  upon  your  valuable  time  now,  I  will 
merely  say  that  Jane  my  daughter,  with  remarkable  abilities,  wishes  to 
assert  her  independence  and  help  to  regain  our  past  financial  standing ; 
and  that,  after  lengthy  and  numerous  consultations  with  all  our  friends, 
it  has  generally  been  agreed  upon  by  us  that  an  application  be  for- 
warded to  you. 

She  desires,  naturally,  to  have  a  first-class  position  and  the  highest 
salary.  After  having  given  you  these  very  definite  particulars,  I,  indeed 
I  might  say  we  all,  shall  expect  to  hear  from  you  very  soon. 

With  many  thanks  for  thoughtful  consideration  on  your  part,  and 
with  my  compliments  to  your  family,  I  beg  to  have  the  honor  of  signing 
myself, 

Yours  with  very  great  respect, 

Lieut.  Julius  Winterton. 

Rewrite  the  above  application,  making  it  simple  and  direct,  and 
inclose  in  an  envelope  properly  addressed. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  What  is  said  of  brevity? 

2.  What  is  the  first  caution? 


BREVITY.  105 


3.  What  is  the  second  caution  ? 

4.  What  is  said  of  a  brief  letter? 

5.  What  of  the  subject? 

6.  Upon  what  should  the  length  of  a  letter  depend? 

7.  What  is  the  first  rule  for  inexperienced  writers? 

8.  What  the  second  rule? 

9.  What  of  business  and  social  letters? 

10.  When  necessary  to  write  upon  other  than  business  matters  how  must  it  be 
done? 

it.  What  are  the  desirable  qualities  of  a  business  letter,  and  what  is  said  of  them? 

12  How  may  brevity  be  assisted? 

13.  What  is  precision? 

14.  What  is  said  of  the  right  word? 

15.  Where  can  MISUSED  WORDS  be  found? 

16.  Give  the  example. 

1 7  What  of  a  business  letter  ? 

18.  What  if  a  favor  is  to  be  asked? 

19  How  can  sentences  be  made  strong? 

20.  What  caution  in  closing  a  sentence? 

.21.  Give  the  example  and  correction. 


•c- 

ff 


t 


tf 

5,       (S/« 


106 


LETTER     WRITING. 


„ 

p_ 

i 

.iS 

^ 

SECTION    II. 
CAPITAL    LETTERS    AND  PUNCTUATION. 

These  two  subjects  should  receive  particular  attention  from  all  who 
desire  to  become  good  letter  writers.  The  opinion  is  somewhat  prev- 
alent 2that  care  in  capitalizing  and  punctuating  a  business  letter,  detracts 


CAPITAL    LETTERS,  ETC.  107 

from  its  business  air  and  gives  it  an  affected  manner,  but  it  is  entirely  a 
mistaken  idea. 

*Errors  in  either  of  these  particulars  are  attributed  to  ignorance  or 
carelessness.  No  man  wishes  to  be  considered  ignorant;  *no  man  can 
afford  to  be  considered  careless. 

An  error  arising  from  ignorance  is  not  so  culpable  as  one  from  care- 
lessness; 6for  ignorance  the  person  is  not  always  responsible;  for  careless- 
ness he  is  responsible. 

If  to  master  these  subjects  required  an  extraordinary  intellect  or  a 
great  length  of  time,  there  might  be  some  excuse  for  ignorance;  but 
the  student  of  ordinary  capacity  who  has  even  a  slight  knowledge 
of  grammar  ought  to  be  able  to  master  either  subject  in  a  short  time. 

Study  the  rules  for  the  use  of  Capital  Letters  on  page  7,  and  supply 
them  whenever  needed  in  the  two  following  letters.  Rewrite  both 
letters,  but  do  not  change  the  construction  or  punctuation. 


new  york,  sept.  20,  1883. 
thos  hooper,  esq., 
Chicago,  ill. 

sir: — having  taken  the  premises  lately  occupied  by  mr.  james 
hasborne  and  purchased  the  stationery  business  carried  on  therein  by 
him  for  nearly  twenty  years,  i  beg  to  assure  you  that,  anxious  as  i  am 
to  secure  his  connections  and  retain  his  customers,  i  shall  make  it  my 
endeavor  to  follow,  as  nearly  as  possible,  his  punctuality,  and  that 
mode  of  conducting  the  business,  by  which  he  succeeded  in  establish- 
ing, and  whereby  i  hope  to  render  permanent  this  extensive  business. 

to  this  end,  permit  me  to  solicit  the  kind  continuance  of  your  sup- 
port, which  i  shall  ever  seek  by  zeal,  industry,  and  integrity  to  deserve, 
that  my  means  are  ample  i  can  satisfactorily  prove;  and  for  any 
information  that  you  may  desire  to  have  on  that  or  any  other  point 
regarding  me,  i  beg  to  refer  you  to  messrs.  cooper  &  co.,  bond  st., 
in  this  city,  or  to  messrs.  sommers  &  thorne  of  Chicago,  i  am,  sir, 
with  great  respect,  very  truly  yours, 

george  cars on. 
a. 

boston,  June  n,  1880. 
mr.  b.  g.  lewis, 

23  beacon  st,  boston, 
sir: — i  demand  payment  of  the  note  held  by  us,  and  drawn  by 

you,  for  twenty-five  hundred  and  thirty  dollars  ($2,530),  dated  oct.  8, 

8 


108  LETTER     WRITING. 


1879  and  payable  June  i,  1880.     in  default  of  payment,  we  shall  sell 
at  public  sale  the  following  securities  which  you  gave  us: — 
5  shares  broadway  bank,  $100  each,  par. 
10  ohio  city  bonds,  $100  each,  par. 
10  shares  people's  insurance  co.,  $50  each,  par. 
20  st.  louis  warrants,  $100  each,  par. 

very  respectfully  yours, 

jonas  smith. 

Correct  the  following  letters,  giving  the  reason  for  each  change  in  the 
use  of  capital  letters. 

i. 

Seattle,  Washington  t.  . 

feb.  8,  1883. 
eveleth  &  nash, 
san  francisco,  Cal. 

sirs: — enclosed  find  Draft  for  two  hundred  And  fifty  dollars, 
($250);  please  collect  and  place  To  my  Credit, 
send  On  return  Steamer: — 
one  Case  oranges,  good, 
Two  cases  oranges,  medium, 
three  cases  Oranges,common. 
one  case  sicily  lemons, 
two  Bunches  bananas. 
one  box  persian  Dates, 
five  six  Lb.  box  smyrnA  figs, 
fifty  cocoanuts. 
one  half  Doz.  pine-apples. 

yours  Respectfully, 

f.  G.  browN. 

2. 

Boston,  June  14,  1883. 
John  Lucas,  Esq., 
Sydney,  Australia. 

sir: — herewith  You  will  Please  to  receive  account-Sales  of  Your 
thirty  bags  of  Wool,  received  as  advised  in  My  Letter  of  the  yth  inst.  i 
Was  enabled  to  sell  at  40  cts.  per  pound  and  the  whole  net  sale  is  $2,453.- 
75,  which  I  hope  Will  Give  you  Satisfaction.  This  amount  i  remit  you 
Inclosed,  in  my  own  draft  At  two  Months'  date,  on  my  friends,  messrs. 
bailey  &  Co.,  in  Your  City;  am  convinced  it  will  be  duly  Honored  and 
not  Discounted. 

Hoping  this  small  trial  will  induce  You  to  favor  me  with  More  and 


CAPITAL   LETTERS,   ETC.  109 

Larger  consignments,  and  begging  your  attention  to  The  Annexed 
price-current,  i  Am  Happy  To  Say  that  Our  market  continues  encour- 
aging for  the  Importation  of  all  grades  of  Wool;  but,  as  you  will  be 
better  informed  as  to  the  quantity  Shipped  from  your  Ports,  you  can 
Best  judge  To  What  extent  you  can  go  with  Safety  in  your  speculation 
In  this  article. 

I  am,  sir,  yours  Truly, 

L.  A.  Rockwell. 

3- 

San  francisco,  July,  1883. 
Charles  Brown,  Esq., 
Sacramento,  cal. 

sir: — Your  acceptance  For  Three  hundred  Dollars  ($300)  drawn 
By  me  April  ist  last,  and  Payable  To  my  order  Three  months  after 
Date,  fell  due  yesterday,  and  now  lies  at  my  bankers,  messrs.  manning 
&  Co.,  noted  for  Non-payment.  I  beg,  Therefore,  to  call  your  imme- 
diate Attention  to  It,  and  Request  you  will  take  up  the  Same  With  the 
Protest  fee  thereon. 

Yours  respectfully, 
Joseph  Williams. 


Letter  written  by  Stephen  Hopkins — one  of  the  signers  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence — to  the  Governor  of  Connecticut. 

Providence,  Aug.  2,  1755. 

Sir:— 

This  moment  I  rec'd  a  letter  from  Gov'r  Delancey  inclosing  the  copy 
of  one  from  Capt.  Orme,  giving  an  account  of  the  Defeat  and  Death  of 
Gen'l  Braddock  and  many  of  his  Officers  and  men.  This  is  an  event 
of  so  much  consequence  to  all  the  Colonys,  that  I  thought  it  my  duty 
to  send  it  to  you,  by  Express,  not  knowing  you  would  receive  it  from 
any  other  quarter.  I  shall  immediately  call  our  Gen'l  Assembly 
together,  and  recommend  to  them  in  the  strongest  manner,  the  doing 
everything  within  their  power  toward  repairing  this  unhappy  Loss  and 
preventing  any  other  of  the  same  nature.  What  method  will  be  thought 
most  effectual  by  the  Colonys  for  such  a  purpose  I  cannot  yet  tell,  but 
am  in  hopes  all  will  exert  themselves  to  their  utmost. 

I  am  Sorrowfully  at  present,  your  Hon'rs  most  Obed't  and  most 
Humble  Serv't, 

Step.  Hopkins. 

To  His  Excellency, 

Governor  of  Connecticut. 


110  LETTER    WRITING. 


St.  Louis,  Feb.  3,  1883. 
Mr.  George  Gray, 

920  Water  St.,  St.  Louis. 

Sir: — The  Amount  for  my  Goods  sold  by  you  at  auction,  having 
become  due  yesterday,  I  fully  expected  that  you  would  send  it  to  me. 
When  i  Gave  you  orders  to  Sell,  you  Assured  me  that  I  might  Rely 
upon  receiving  Cash  Within  a  month,  depending  upon  that,  I  remitted 
a  Bill,  For  net  proceeds  to  the  Party  Consigning  to  me,  calculating  that 
i  should  Receive  the  same  from  you  In  Time  to  take  Up  that  Bill.  I 
must  request  that  you  Send  me  a  check  for  Proceeds  of  Sale  without 
Delay. 

i  Am  yours,  etc., 

Giles  stone. 
Copy  the  following  letters,  punctuating  when  necessary. 


San  Francisco  May  8  1883. 
Chas  Smith  Esq 

Sacramento  Cal 

Sir  your  bill  for  goods  sold  you  last  winter  has  now  been  delivered 
six  weeks  and  I  have  called  upon  you  several  times  to  solicit  payment 
but  have  not  been  so  fortunate  as  to  find  you  at  home.  I  have  a  large 
sum  to  make  up  in  the  course  of  the  week  and  shall  esteem  it  a  partic- 
ular favor  if  you  will  let  me  have  the  amount  of  my  bill 

I  trust  you  will  excuse  the  liberty  I  have  taken  in  writing  upon  this 
subject  and  believe  me  Sir  your  obedient  servant 

A  S  King 

2 

Atlanta,  Georgia 

Sept  ii  1883 
James  Jones,  Esq 
Macon  Ga 

Sir  I  am  compelled  by  unfortunate  circumstances  and  much 
against  my  will  to  make  a  request  the  first  of  the  kind  I  have  ever  made 
and  I  sincerely  trust  it  may  be  the  last 

For  a  variety  of  reasons  business  in  this  vicinity  has  latterly  been  so 
very  dull  that  I  have  been  unable  to  realize  the  funds  necessary  to  meet 
my  engagements  and  I  see  no  prospect  that  I  can  at  present  unless  I 
dispose  of  my  stock  at  a  great  sacrifice  which  I  cannot  think  you 
would  desire  me  to  do 

I  have  many  good  accounts  none  of  which  however  are  due  yet  for 
three  weeks  and  I  could  not  ask  for  payment  beforehand  without 
running  the  risk  of  offending  some  of  my  best  and  largest  customers 


CAPITAL  LETTERS,  ETC.  Ill 

I  trust  that  under  these  circumstances  you  will  extend  indulgence, 
and  suffer  my  account  to  stand  over  say  for  one  month  from  this  day 
when  it  will  be  punctually  met  and  the  obligation  most  gratefully 
acknowledged  by 

Yours  very  respectfully 

Hugh  Higgins 

3 

Albany  New  York 

Sept  19  1882 
Mr  Geo  H  Pratt 
Watertown  N  Y 

Sir  You  wrote  me  a  month  ago  declaring  your  inability  to  settle 
your  account  and  stating  in  the  most  positive  terms  that  a  settlement 
should  be  made  on  the  first  day  of  the  present  month  More  than  a 
fortnight  has  elapsed  since  the  day  named  but  the  promised  settlement 
has  not  been  made  neither  have  I  heard  one  word  from  you  respecting 
the  matter 

I  now  feel  compelled  to  write  you  in  more  serious  terms  and  to  urge 
upon  your  attention  the  necessity  of  attending  to  this  business  without 
further  delay 

As  a  man  of  business  you  must  be  aware  that  these  irregularities  in 
connection  with  money  matters  are  calculated  to  cause  not  only  distrust 
in  yourself  but  much  inconvenience  to  me  and  allow  me  to  tell  you 
plainly  that  if  all  my  customers  were  as  tardy  in  settling  their  accounts 
as  you  are  I  should  soon  be  compelled  to  give  up  business 

I  cannot  help  thinking  that  although  you  may  as  other  men  do 
experience  occasional  periods  of  pressure-  the  general  irregularity  in 
your  payments  arises  from  an  absence  of  consideration  for  others  rather 
than  a  want  of  means 

Now  that  I  have  thus  placed  the  matter  before  you  I  do  hope  that 
you  will  not  only  promptly  attend  to  this  account  but  that  you  will 
endeavor  to  be  more  punctual  in  future  engagements 

I  am  Sir  yours  respectfully 

W.  G.  Wheeler. 

Dear  Sir 

don't  ship  me  any  cauliflower  and  Cabbage  ship   me  Pease  new 
potatoes  tomatoes  Oranges  bananas  cherries  any  thing  nice  yours  truly 

(signature) 
2  bags  onions. 

Rewrite  the  above  letter,  supplying  heading  and  address;  correct  all 
errors  in  construction,  capitalizing,  and  punctuation. 


112  LETTER     WRITING. 


Work  in  capitalizing  and  punctuation  should  be  extended  until  the 
pupil  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with  both  subjects. 

Much  benefit  may  be  derived  by  making  an  accurate  copy  of  any 
correct  letter  that  may  be  obtained,  whether  it  be  of  a  business  or  social 
nature. 

QUESTIONS. 

1.  What  is  said  of  capital  letters  and  punctuation? 

2.  What  opinion  is  somewhat  prevalent? 

3.  To  what  are  errors  in  these  particulars  attributed? 

4.  What  is  said  of  carelessness? 

5.  What  is  said  of  ignorance? 

6.  Why  no  excuse  for  ignorance? 

SECTION  III. 

LETTERS   OF     BUSINESS. 

The  following  letters,  gathered  from  various  sources — many  being 
copies  of  actual  business  letters  and  appearing  in  print  for  the  first  time 
— are  given  merely  as  a  guide  to  the  student,  and  not  for  him  to  use  in 
his  own  business  transactions.  No  collection  of  business  letters,  how- 
ever extensive,  could  be  found  that  would  have  something  suitable  for 
every  occasion. 

The  letters  of  a  successful  and  thorough  correspondent  must  be 
original  and  suited  to  the  peculiar  circumstances  calling  them  forth. 

Syracuse,  New  York, 

July  9,  1883. 
A.  B.  Towne  &  Co., 
49  John  St.,  New  York. 

Gentlemen:-  Having  sold  my  interest  in  the  firm  of  Dole  & 
Cole  I  asked  you  for  a  Statement  of  Acct,  but  as  there  is  no  balance 
except  on  the  last  bill,  you  will  please  charge  the  same  to  the  new  firm 
of  Wilson  &  Cole,  for  they  are  to  pay  all  bills  due  from  the  city  at  the 
time  of  purchase. 

Yours, 
2  Chas.  H.  Dole. 

FROM    THE    NEW    FIRM    MENTIONED    IN    NUMBER    I. 

Syracuse,  New  York, 

Aug.  i 

A.  B.  Towne  &  Co., 
49  John  St.,  New  York. 

Gentlemen:-  Mr.  Dole  of  the  firm  of  Dole  &  Cole  having  sold 
his  interest  to  J.  B.  Wilson,  we,  the  new  firm  known  as  Wilson  &  Cole, 


ON    BUSINESS.  113 


desire  to  solicit  a  continuation  of   the  same  confidence  and  favor  so 
long  accorded  to  the  old  firm. 

We  can  assure  you  that  there  will    be  no  diminution  of  the  capital, 
and  all  indebtedness  will  be  met  with  the  former  promptitude. 

Respectfully, 

The  signature  of  Wilson  &  Cole. 

J.  B.  Wilson. 

Syracuse,  New  York, 

Aug.  4,  1883. 
A.  B.  Towne  &  Co., 
49  John  St.,  New  York. 

Gentlemen:-  Will  you  please  give  us  a  letter  of  recommendation 
to  some  reliable  wholesale  grocery  house  in  your  city?  If  so  you  will 
greatly  oblige, 

Yours  truly, 
Wilson  &  Cole. 

4 

49  John  St.,  New  York, 

Aug.  7,  1883. 
C.  B.  Elliot  &  Co., 

1300  Sixth  Ave.,  New  York. 

Gentlemen:-  We  take  pleasure  in  recommending  to  you  the  firm 
of  Wilson  &  Cole.  Mr.  Wilson  we  have  no  personal  acquaintance  with, 
but  his  being  associated  with  Mr.  Cole,  whom  we  have  known  long  and 
favorably,  is,  we  consider,  sufficient  guarantee  of  his  responsibility. 

You  need  have  no  hesitancy  in  allowing  them  the  usual  term  of  credit 
accorded  to  country  customers. 

Very  respectfully, 

A.  B.  Towne  &  Co., 
per  Moyne. 
5 

INQUIRY    IN    REGARD   TO   THE    CHARACTER    OF    A    CLERK. 

Cleveland,  Ohio,  June  6,  1882. 
Bidwell  &  Wells, 

19  State  St.,  Chicago. 

Gentlemen:-  I  wish  to  inquire  as  to  the  honesty  and  general 
conduct  of  B.  M.  Laton.  He  has  applied  to  me  for  the  position  of 
head  book-keeper  in  my  wholesale  paint  store,  and  referred  me  to  you, 
representing  that  he  has  been  in  your  employ  for  the  past  seven  years, 
and  only  left  you  to  seek  a  more  remunerative  position. 
An  early  reply  will  greatly  oblige 

T.  K.  Miner. 


114  LETTER    WRITING. 


Write  two  answers  to  the  above  letter,  the  first  favorable,  the  second 
unfavorable. 

6 

New  Orleans,  La., 

Jan.  1 6,  1883. 
C.  Horton,  Esq., 
964  Cedar  St.,  New  York. 

My  dear  Sir:-  Permit  me  to  introduce  to  you  my  intimate 
friend,  Mr.  Robert  Hastings,  and  to  claim  for  him  a  very  kind  and 
friendly  reception. 

Mr.  H.  is  a  talented  young  man,  who  has,  principally  by  his  own 
unaided  exertions,  mastered  several  languages.  His  health  having  been 
for  some  time  in  a  delicate  state,  owing,  probably,  to  a  too  close  applica- 
tion to  his  studies,  the  physicians  have  recommended  him  to  travel  for 
a  few  months,  and  when  his  strength  is  sufficiently  recruited  to  admit  of 
his  returning  to  business,  to  fix  his  residence  in  some  sea-port  for  a 
couple  of  years. 

Well  acquainted  with  Mr.  Hastings'  character,  I  can  with  justice  bear 
testimony  in  his  favor,  and  more  particularly  so,  knowing  that  his  con- 
duct, during  the  nine  years  that  he  has  spent  in  our  counting-house,  has 
been  such  as  to  give  entire  satisfaction  to  our  principals,  who  regret 
that  he  is  compelled  to  quit  their  employ.  I  therefore  most  earnestly 
entreat  you  to  afford  him  every  assistance  in  your  power  in  accomplish- 
ing his  object,  and  I  confess  to  you  that  I  expect  more  from  your 
friendly  exertions  in  his  behalf  than  from  the  letters  with  which  the  house 
have  furnished  him. 

Fully  persuaded  that  you  will  show  Mr.  Hastings  every  kindness  and 
attention,  and  will  endeavor  to  make  his  residence  in  New  York  as 
pleasant  as  possible,  I  beg  to  assure  you  that  I  shall  consider  myself 
greatly  obliged,  and  shall  be  most  happy  to  have  an  opportunity  of 
serving  you  in  return. 

Faithfully  yours, 
Pierce  Mason. 


Lincoln,  Nebraska,  Oct.  3,  1883. 
Messrs.  Colton  &  Palmer, 
975  Water  St.,  Chicago. 

Gentlemen:-  I  have  recently  bought  two  hundred  acres  of  land 
adjoining  the  three  hundred  acres  in  my  home  farm,  and  I  need  One 
Thousand  Dollars  ($1,000)  to  expend  in  improvements.  If  you  will 
advance  me  the  necessary  amount,  and  wait  for  payment  until  I  can 


ON   BUSINESS.  115 


ship  my  corn  and  pork  to  you  next  year,  I  will  give  you  a  mortgage  on 

my  place  as  security. 

Respectfully  yours, 

Hiram  Poston. 
8 

975  Water  St.,  Chicago, 

111.,  Oct.  6,  1883. 
B.  D.  Minturn, 
County  Recorder, 
Lincoln,  Neb. 

Sir:-   We  wish  to  know  if  there  is  any  mortgage  on  the  farm 
of  Hiram  Poston,  situated  in  your  township. 

Yours  respectfully, 

Colton  &  Palmer. 
9 

Lincoln,  Neb.,  Oct.  16,  1883. 
Messrs.  Colton  &  Palmer, 
975  Water  St.,  Chicago. 

Gentlemen:-  In  answer  to  yours  of  6th  inst.,  I  would  state  that 
I  have  found  a  mortgage  against  Hiram  Poston  favor  of  A.  G.  Lyon 
for  Five  Thousand  Dollars  ($5,000),  due  one  year  from  June  16,  1883, 
with  int.  at  i  per  cent,  per  month.  This  mortgage  is  not  on  his  farm 
but  on  a  city  lot;  we  find  nothing  recorded  against  the  farm. 

You  did   not   state  whether  you  wanted  a  search  showing  all  the 
incumbrances  against  Poston  or  not. 

The  search  from  the  time  Poston  purchased  up  to  date  would  cost 
you   Five    Dollars  ($5).     If  this   information  is  not  sufficient  please 
answer  at  once,  and  I  will  send  you  the  search. 
Yours  truly, 

D.  B.  Minturn,  Recorder, 

per  Scott. 
10 

975  Water  St.,  Chicago, 

111.,  Oct.  1 8,  1883. 
Hiram  Poston,  Esq., 
Lincoln,  Neb. 

Sir:-  We  are  willing  to  let  you  have  One  Thousand  Dollars 
($  1,000)  on  the  terms  mentioned  in  your  letter  of  the  3d  inst. 

Forward  all  necessary  papers  by  express,  and  we  will  send  you  check 
for  the  amount  on  First  National  Bank  of  Chicago. 

Truly  yours, 

Colton  &  Palmer. 


116  LETTER    WRITING. 


II 

It  often  happens  that  checks  are  issued  without  a  signature,  and 
cause  much  inconvenience  if  not  loss  to  the  person  receiving  them. 

First  National  Bank, 

New  Orleans,  July  3,  1883. 
Messrs.  Tustin  &  Reed, 
211  Madsion  St., 
Nashville,  Tenn. 

Gentlemen:-  We  received  from  one  of  our  customers,  per  mail, 
the  inclosed  check,  which  is  not  signed.  From  the  writing  thereon  we 
believe  the  same  to  have  been  issued  by  you;  if  so,  please  sign  and 
return;  if  not,  return. 

Yours  truly, 

L.  W.  Brown, 
Cashier. 

12. 

LETTER   OF    CREDIT. 

New  York,  March  12,  1883. 
Messrs.  Redington  &  Co., 
San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Gentlemen:-  Any  sum  of  money  that  the  bearer  of  this,  Mr.  J. 
T.  Giles,  may  require,  to  the  extent  of  Fifteen  Hundred  Dollars  ($1,500), 
be  pleased  to  advance  on  my  account,  either  on  his  receipt  or  his  draft 
on  me  to  your  order,  as  may  be  most  agreeable  to  yourselves. 

Truly  yours, 

Thomas  Philips. 
J.  T.  Giles. 

13 

New  York,  June  4,  1883. 
Cashier  Granger's  Bank, 
San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Sir:-  Do  us  the  favor  of  furnishing  the  bearer,  Chas.  Miller,  with 
whatever  amount  of  money  he  may  desire  during  his  visit  in  your  city,  to 
the  extent  of  Ten  Thousand  Dollars  ($10,000).  His  signature  we  will 
forward  to-day  by  mail. 

With  great  respect, 

James  T.  Smith  &  Co. 

The  signature  of  the  bearer  of  the  letter  is  sometimes  given  at  the 
close  of  the  letter  as  in  number  1 2 ;  but  a  better  way  is  to  send  in  a 
separate  letter  as  indicated  in  number  13.  There  is  then  no  chance  for 
forgery  as  in  the  first  example. 


ON  BUSINESS.  11? 


14. 

Bennington,  Vt,  Dec.  i,  1882. 
Saul  Craig,  Esq., 
Portland,  Oregon. 

Sir:-  The  bearer  of  this,  Miles  Vanderpool,  has  been  my  most 
intimate  friend  for  years.  Any  attention  you  may  show  him  will  be  a 
personal  favor  to  myself. 

Yours  truly, 
Ben  Delee. 

IS- 

Charleston,  S.  C.. 

July  n,  1883. 
Mr.  William  Wight, 

Mobile,  Ala. 

Sir:-  I  have  the  honor  and  pleasure  of  introducing  to  you  I.  E. 
Blair,  whom  you  will  find  a  pleasant  addition  to  your  circle  of  acquaint- 
ances. 

Respectfully, 
H.  C.  Holmes. 

In  writing  letters  of  introduction  the  utmost  caution  must  be  used. 
You  are  responsible  for  the  acquaintance  formed,  and  thus  indirectly 
for  the  good  or  evil  arising  from  it.  Never  give  a  letter  of  introduction 
when  you  have  the  least  doubt  in  regard  to  the  character  of  either 
party.  Never  give  a  letter  of  introduction  to  a  person  with  whom  you 
are  only  slightly  acquainted.  . 

1 6. 

Write  two  letters  of  introduction;  a  long  one  and  a  short  one. 

17- 

Write  two  letters  of  credit;  the  first  with,  the  second  without  the 
signature  of  the  person  presenting  the  letter. 

1 8. 

San  Francisco,  Cal., 

July  n,  1883. 
Editor  Youth's  Companion, 
Boston,  Mass. 

Sir:-  Enclosed  find  P.  O.  order  for  One  Dollar  and  Seventy 
five  Cents  ($1.75)  for  one  year's  subscription  to  your  paper,  beginning 
with  the  first  number  in  the  present  volume. 

Yours  etc., 

Chas.  Vaughn. 
Write  an  original  letter  similar  to  the  above. 


118  LETTER  WRITING. 


19 

WANTED — BY  A  SMALL  PRIVATE  FAMILY,  A  FOUR-STORY  HOUSE  ON  GRAM- 
ercy  Park,  Stuyvesant  Square,  or  vicinity;  state  size  and  rent;  may  purchase  if  an 
extra  bargain  is  offered.  Address  W.  B.,  519  Herald  Uptown  Office. 

Write  an  answer  to  the  above  advertisement,  giving  a  description  of 
property  that  is  for  rent  or  sale;  and  that  would  fill  all  requirements 
named. 

20. 

A  RARE  CHANCE — STATIONERY,  TOY,  Music,  PRINTING,  AND  NOVELTY 
Store  for  sale,  doing  a  good  cash  business,  established  five  years  on  the  leading 
business  avenue  of  New  York ;  price  $7,000  cash,  or  will  exchange  for  House  and  Lot 
in  New  York,  or  for  Farm  not  more  than  15  miles  from  New  York.  Address  J.  R. 
D.,  Box  230  Herald  Office. 

Write  answer  to  above,  describing  both  town  and  country  property 
that  you  would  be  willing  to  exchange  for  the  business  named. 

21. 

THE  WATERLOO  HOUSE— ESTABLISHED  1815— ONE  OF  THE  OLDEST  AND 
most  extensive  dry  goods  stores  in  the  metropolis.  HALLING,  PEARCE,  &  STONE, 
Proprietors.  Waterloo  House,  Pall  Mall  East  and  Cockspur  St.,  Trafalgar  Square, 
Charing  Cross,  London. 

Write  to  the  firm  named  in  the  preceding  advertisement,  and  order  a 
bill  of  goods,  to  consist  of  ten  items.  Put  the  letter  in  an  envelope  and 
omit  no  necessary  item  from  the  superscription. 

22. 

WINTER  AND  SUMMER  BOARDING;  CENTRAL  LOCATION ;  ELEGANTLY 
furnished;  moderate  terms.  Address  Williard  House,  Atlantic  City,  N.  J. 

Write  to  the  proprietors  of  the  Willard  House,  stating  that  you  would 
like  to  know  what  the  terms  would  be  for  a  suite  of  rooms  and  board  for 
one  person  per  month. 

23- 

MUSICAL — WANTED— AN  ARTISTIC  SOPRANO  SINGER  FOR  CHOIR  AND 
solo  work.  Call  or  address  Jackson  Musical  Institute,  2216  Wabash  Ave,,  Chi- 
cago, 111. 

Write  an  application  for  the  position  named,  stating  experience,  ref- 
erences, and  salary  expected. 

24. 

WANTED— A  FIRST-CLASS  DRIVING  HORSE  THAT  CAN  DRAW  A  ROAD  WAGON 
better  than  three  minutes.  Will  exchange  for  same  first-class  real  estate.  Address 
G,  6l  Inter  Ocean,  Chicago. 

Write  an  answer  describing  a  horse  you  have  for  sale,  and  state 
price.  Address  correctly. 


CARDS   AND    NOTES.  119 


RULES    FOR    BUSINESS    LETTERS. 

1.  Study   your  subject  before  beginning  to  write,  and  arrange  the 
parts  in  the  order  of  their  importance. 

2.  Come  at  once  to  the  main  point  and  word  it  so  clearly  that  there 
can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  meaning. 

3.  Study  forms  for  arrangement  and  follow  them  strictly. 

4.  Use  as  few  words  as  possible,  but  never  omit  a  word  necessary  to 
make  the  meaning  perfectly  clear. 

5.  Avoid  all  flourishing  in  penmanship,  for  it  detracts  from  the  legi- 
bility. 

6.  The  heading  should  always  contain  your  location,  post-office  ad~ 
dress,  and  the  date — month,  day  of  month,  and  year. 

7.  When  your  letter  is  finished  read  it  over  carefully,  correcting  all 
mistakes  and  inserting  omissions. 

8.  Be  certain    that  your  envelope    is  properly  superscribed    and 
stamped. 

9.  Retain  a  copy  of  each  letter  you  write. 

10.  Keep  all  letters  received  in  a  letter-file,  so  that  they  may  be  con- 
venient for  future  reference. 

1 1.  When  money  is  sent  by  means  of  draft,  post-office  order,  check, 
etc.,  the  amount  should  always  be  stated  in  the  letter. 

12.  In  giving  an  order  for  goods,  complete  it  before  making  any  sug- 
gestions or  asking  any  questions. 

1 3.  Answer  all  letters  promptly. 

14.  Use  few  abbreviations,  and  only  such  as  are  well  known. 

15.  For  business  letters  always  use  the  size  of  paper  known  as  com- 
mercial letter  paper. 

1 6.  In  giving  a  letter  of  credit  be  sure  to  state  the  exact  amount  for 
which  credit  is  to  be  given. 

17.  Never  put  anything  in  a  business  letter  that  will  detract  from  its 
dignity,  even  when  addressed  to  an  intimate  acquaintance. 

1 8.  In  replying  to  a  business  letter,  discuss  each  subject  in  the  same 
order  as  observed  therein. 

19.  Paragraph  carefully,  so  that  each  subject  or  each  division  of  the 
subject  may  be  found  at  once. 

20.  In  every  letter  you  write,  do  your  very  best 

CHAPTER  IV. 

SECTION  1. -CARDS  AND  NOTES. 

CARDS  are  used  so  extensively  and  for  such  a  variety  of  purposes  that 
the  subject  cannot  be  omitted  entirely,  although  to  illustrate  properly, 
it  alone  would  fill  a  large  volume. 


120  LETTER    WRITING. 


Socially,  cards  may  be  used  on  almost  any  occasion  in  place  of  a  note, 
unless  great  formality  is  required.  In  visiting,  and  for  professional  and 
business  men,  they  have  become  so  generally  in  use  as  to  be  indispensa- 
ble. 

The  greatest  liberty  is  allowed  in  the  choice  of  quality,  size,  and  color, 
but  as  the  card  is  a  representative  of  the  person  whose  name  it  bears* 
the  endeavor  should  be  to  make  it  a  worthy  representative. 

The  ladies'  visiting  card,  especially,  should  be  of  the  finest  quality  of 
card-board  and  either  pure  white  or  rose-white.  The  size  varies,  but 
should  be  in  the  prevailing  style.  The  inscription  (name  and  address) 
should  either  be  written  or  engraved  in  plain,  neat  letters,  without  any 
flourishing.  The  name  is  sometimes  given  without  the  address.  Gen- 
tlemen's visiting  cards  should  be  of  medium  size  and  contain  both  the 
name  and  address. 

The  social  titles  used  on  cards  are,  Mr.,  Mrs.,  and  Miss.  Clergymen, 
physicians,  and  dentists  use  their  professional  title  instead  of  Mr.,  and 
the  same  card  is  used  professionally  and  socially. 

The  official  rank  may  be  given  by  persons  occupying  high  positions  in 
the  civil,  military,  or  naval  service.  The  title  Honorable  is  never  used 
on  cards,  and  scholastic  titles  should  never  be  used  unless  they  are 
also  professional  titles. 

Some  of  the  uses  of  cards  are  as  follows : — 

To  Announce  a  Visitor's  Name. — On  making  a  call,  a  card  is 
handed  to  the  person  who  opens  the  door,  and  the  caller  inquires  for 
the  person  or  persons  for  whom  the  visit  is  intended. 

To  Announce  a  Guest's  Name  at  a  Reception. — When  attend- 
ing a  reception  or  party,  hand  a  card  to  the  usher  at  the  door.  Also 
leave  one  in  the  card  receiver. 

To  Represent  the  Owner  in  Making  Calls. — Certain  occasions 
demand  formal  visits,  but  for  ordinary  calls  a  card  is  by  common  con- 
sent accepted  as  a  substitute  for  the  person. 

To  Announce  a  Departure. — On  leaving  home  to  stay  for  a  con- 
siderable time,  cards  should  be  sent  to  friends,  with  P.  P.  C.  (to  take 
leave)  on  the  lower  left-hand  corner. 

To  Announce  a  Return. — Send  cards  with  address  and  reception 
day. 

To  Express  Congratulation  and  Condolence. — On  either  of 
these  occasions  a  visit  in  person  is  required,  but  if  the  person  visited  is 
not  at  home  leave  a  card  with  the  word  Congratulation  or  Condolence, 
as  the  case  may  require,  written  across  one  corner. 

To  Accompany  a  Letter  of  Introduction. — Always  send  a  card 
bearing  the  temporary  address  with  a  letter  of  introduction;  both  to  be 
.enclosed  in  one  envelope. 


NOTES  AND  CARDS.  121 


To  Make  Known  One's  Name  to  a  Stranger. — A  person  who 
wishes  to  make  himself  known  to  another,  hands  him  a  card. 

Corners  of  Cards  Turned  down,  signify  as  follows: — 

Visite — The  right-hand  upper  corner. 

Congratulation — The  left-hand  upper  corner. 

Condolence — The  left-hand  lower  corner. 

P.  P.  C.  (to  take  leave) — The  right-hand  lower  corner. 

Delivered  in  Person — The  right-hand  end  turned  down. 

Business  Cards  are  used  by  business  men  to  indicate  the  kind  and 
location  of  their  business.  They  are  generally  printed  from  ordinary 
job  type,  and  should  be  neatly  and  tastefully  arranged.  People  are 
influenced  greatly  by  whatever  is  ornamental  and  pleasing  to  the  eye, 
therefore  business  men  are  consulting  their  own  interests  when  they 
take  advantage  of  this  fact  and  appeal  in  their  cards  not  only  to  the 
judgment  but  to  the  taste  of  the  public. 

Notes,  as  here  meant,  are  unlike  the  ordinary  letter,  and  in  some 
respects  more  nearly  resemble  cards.  They  are  always  formal;  are 
written  in  the  third  person;  the  heading  and  signature  are  omitted  and 
the  date  is  placed  at  the  close  instead  of  the  beginning. 

They  are  used  between  equals:  i.  In  all  matters  of  ceremony,  such  as 
invitations  to  weddings,  receptions,  dinners,  balls,  etc.,  and  in  the 
answers,  whether  accepting  or  declining.  2.  In  all  brief  communica- 
tions between  persons  but  slightly  acquainted. 

They  are  used  behveen  unequals  when  a  superior  addresses  an  inferior 
or  the  reverse,  if  the  message  is  a  brief  one. 

Like  cards  they  must  be  of  the  finest  quality  of  unglazed  card-board  • 
the  heavier  the  board  the  more  desirable.  The  color  most  used  is 
plain  white,  but  very  delicate  tints  are  allowable.  The  size  and  color 
-depend  entirely  on  the  styles,  which  vary  constantly.  The  wording 
should  be  as  concise  as  courtesy  will  allow,  and  the  penmanship  or 
engraving  must  be  plain,  beautiful,  and  without  flourishes,  to  be  in  good 
form.  Both  the  paper  and  envelopes  usually  contain  the  monogram  of 
the  writer,  and  wedding  invitations  combine  the  initials  of  the  bride  and 
the  bridegroom  in  the  monogram.  All  invitations  should  be  enclosed  in 
envelopes;  the  inner  one  to  match  the  paper,  and  the  outer  one> 
coarser,  to  protect  the  other.  For  the  various  anniversary  weddings  it 
is  customary  to  have  the  invitation  engraved  or  written  on  material 
characteristic  of  the  occasion,  or  paper  in  imitation. 

PAPER — One  year  married. 

WOODEN — Five  years  married. 

TIN — Ten  years  married. 

CRYSTAL — Fifteen  years  married. 


LETTER    WRITING. 


CHINA — Twenty  years  married. 

SILVER — Twenty-five  years  married. 

GOLD — Fifty  years  married. 

DIAMOND — Seventy-five  years  married. 

An  invitation  to  dinner  must  always  be  answered  at  once  whether  an 
answer  is  requested  or  not.  Other  social  invitations  need  not  be  an- 
swered unless  they  contain  the  request  for  an  answer  (R.  S.  V.  P.). 
Failure  to  answer  is  understood  to  be  an  acceptance. 

Courtesy  would  always  assign  a  reason  in  a  regret  for  non-attendance, 
although  not  positively  demanded. 

In  invitations  where  two  envelopes  are  used  the  inner  contains  only 
the  name  of  the  invited  person;  the  outer  the  complete  post-office 
address  whether  delivered  by  a  messenger  or  sent  through  the  mail. 

In  answers  whether  of  acceptance  or  regret  only  one  envelope  is  used 
and  should  contain  the  name  of  the  person  named  in  the  invitation.  If 
from  a  husband  and  wife,  the  answer  recognizes  both,  although  the  enve- 
lope is  addressed  to  the  wife  alone. 

Invitations  to  college  and  society  anniversaries,  and  public  recep- 
tions, exhibit  every  imaginable  variety  of  designs,  some  of  them 
being  exceedingly  beautiful.  The  visiting  card  of  the  sender  should 
always  be  inclosed  with  the  invitation,  to  indicate  his  personal  compli- 
ments. 

The  following  initials  and  phrases  from  the  French  are  much  used: — 

FETE  CHAMPETRE,  a  garden  party. 

BAL  MASQUE,  masquerade  ball. 

SOIREE  DANSANTE,  dancing  party. 

COSTUME  DE  RIGUEUR,  full  dress  in  character. 

LE  COTILLON,  the  German. 

EN  VILLE,  E.  V.,  in  the  town  or  city. 

P.  P.  C.,  to  take  leave. 

R.  S.  V.  P.,  answer^  if  you  please. 

The  English  custom  is  to  date  notes  at  the  beginning,  as  in  the  fo" 
lowing  example: — 

1 3th  July,  SIDNEY  LODGE. 

Admiral  the  Earl  of  Hardwick  presents  his  compliments  to  Admira) 
Farragut,  and  begs  to  say  that  he  is  now  resident  at  the  above  address. 
He  is  lame  and  has  difficulty  in  boarding  ship,  or  he  would  wait  in 
person  on  Admiral  Farragut.  The  Earl  of  Hardwick  hopes  that  he 
may  be  able  in  some  way  to  gain  Admiral  Farragut's  friendship. 

Admiral  Farragut,  U.  S.  Navy. 

The  latest  information  in  regard  to  form,  size,  and  color  of  notes  anc 
cards  may  be  obtained  at  any  large  stationers. 


SOCIAL  LETTERS.  123 


The  qualities  named  are  dependent  entirely  on  the  fashions,  so  that 
the  quality  is  the  only  thing  of  which  we  can  assert  positively,  and  of 
that,  we  say,  always  get  the  best.  Unless  the  quality  be  good  no  amount 
of  ornamentation  can  convey  the  impression  of  elegance  and  refine- 
ment. 

SECTION   II. 

SOCIAL   LETTERS. 

In  this  division  we  refer  to  all  epistolary  correspondence  not  included 
under  the  subject  of  business  letters.  It  is  so  important  a  division  that 
it  is  considered  a  distinct  department  of  our  literature,  and  is  repre- 
sented by  a  larger  number  of  eminent  persons  than  any  other  subject. 
All  persons  are  required  occasionally  to  write  letters  of  friendship  or 
love,  if  not  of  business.  Hence  it  is  that  in  the  literature  presented 
in  letters  we  may  find  something  from  the  pen  of  almost  every  eminent 
person  who  has  lived  within  the  last  two  or  three  centuries.  Letters 
are  chiefly  upon  the  common  affairs  of  life,  and  hence  possess  for  us 
an  interest  deeper  than  that  felt  in  any  other  species  of  composition. 
Letters  should  exhibit  the  greatest  ease  and  simplicity,  and  will  be 
attractive  in  proportion  as  they  are  natural  and  unstudied.  They  are 
simply  a  conversation  between  two  persons  reduced  to  writing.  Instead 
of  being  in  the  form  of  a  dialogue,  the  first  completes  all  he  has  to  say 
on  a  given  subject,  replies  to  former  questions,  and  asks  new  ones  before 
any  reply  is  offered  by  the  second  party. 

The  history  of  no  country  can  be  complete  without  the  letters  of  its 
prominent  citizens;  they  will  often  illuminate  a  subject  that  would 
otherwise  prove  incomprehensible.  By  no  other  means  can  we  come  so 
near  to  the  inner  life — that  which  exhibits  the  true  motives,  and  principles 
— as  in  the  letters  to  friends  in  whom  perfect  confidence  is  reposed 
Notice  how  utterly  unlike  are  the  two  characters  represented  in  the 
life  of  Charlotte  Bronte  by  Mrs.  Gaskell  and  that  by  T.  W.  Reid.  In 
the  former  only  letters  to  those  with  whom  she  felt  some  degree  of 
restraint  are  exhibited;  in  the  latter  the  most  fervent  outpourings  of  her 
heart  to  her  life-long  friend  show  the  depth  and  beauty  of  her  character. 

Not  only  do  letters  give  us  a  knowledge  of  men  and  times,  but  they 
give  us  a  feeling  of  intimate  acquaintance  with  those  from  whom  we 
are  debarred  by  time  or  position.  Their  struggles  and  triumphs,  shown 
by  their  own  words,  encourage  us  to  conquer  similar  evils  and  tempta- 
tions placed  in  our  own  paths.  The  best  letters  are  not  always  those 
of  the  most  eminent  authors.  A  letter  may  be  filled  with  brilliant  and 
polished  sentences,  and  yet  unless  they  seem  to  arise  naturally  out  of 
the  subject  and  flow  uninterruptedly  from  the  preceding  sentences,  the 


124  LETTER    WRITING. 


effect  of  ease  and  grace  will  be  destroyed  and  the  letter  will  appear  stiff 
and  unnatural. 

Letters  to  our  most  familiar  friends  should  never  exhibit  carelessness; 
we  must  remember  not  only  what  is  due  to  them,  but  what  we  owe  to 
ourselves,  which  is  never  to  write  anything  of  which  we  would  hereafter 
feel  ashamed  under  any  circumstances.  Avoid  scandal  as  a  pestilence, 
and  only  state  the  truth.  If  you  give  that  which  is  doubtful,  state  that 
it  is  so,  and  if  you  afterwards  find  that  it  was  a  mistake  it  is  much 
easier  to  correct  the  first  impression  than  if  you  had  given  it  as  an 
absolute  fact. 

In  writing  letters  of  congratulation,  condolence,  inquiry,  etc.,  it  is 
best  to  make  them  brief  and  confine  them  entirely  to  the  one  subject. 
The  answers  to  letters  of  congratulation  and  condolence  should  express 
thanks  as  for  a  favor  received.  Regularity  is  essential  to  a  valuable 
correspondence,  for  delay  in  answering  not  only  shows  disrespect  to  the 
correspondent,  but  diminishes  the  lively  interest  otherwise  felt  in  the 
subjects  under  discussion.  Promptness  is  especially  desirable  when  it 
becomes  necessary  to  render  an  excuse  for  any  remissness. 

An  excuse  that  would  be  accepted  to-day  or  to-morrow  as  sufficient 
for  the  offense,  might  be  considered  an  insult  added  to  the  injury  if 
delayed  a  week  or  two  or  three  weeks. 

Neatness  in  penmanship  and  general  arrangement  is  as  essential  a 
characteristic  of  social  as  of  business  letters. 

There  are  many  forms  from  which  to  choose  that  which  pleases  us 
best,  but  when  chosen  it  must  not  be  deviated  from. 

The  LOCATION  and  DATE  of  a  social  letter  may  be  placed  at  the  begin- 
ning or  at  the  close;  the  best  form  though  is  at  the  beginning. 

When  the  location  and  date  are  given  at  the  close  of  the  letter,  they 
should  begin  on  the  next  line  below  the  signature  and  at  the  margin  on 
the  left-hand  side  of  the  paper.  When  the  heading  is  omitted  the  letter 
should  begin  with  the  complete  address. 

The  ADDRESS  in  social  letters  may  be  given  at  the  close  if  the  heading 
is  given. 

The  address  should  always  be  given  even  in  the  most  unceremonious 
letter,  for  it  could  then  be  forwarded  even  if  the  envelope  were 
defaced  or  destroyed.  The  address  at  the  close  seems  less  formal  and 
is  therefore  preferred  by  many.  The  complimentary  address  may  be 
made  to  indicate  the  relationship  or  degree  of  friendship,  but  all  gusli  ing 
and  extravagant  terms  should  be  avoided;  they  indicate  silliness,  shal- 
lowness,  or  insincerity.  The  address,  whether  at  the  beginning  or  the 
close  of  a  letter,  should  begin  at  the  margin  line.  The  complimentary 
address  usually  depends  for  its  posicion  on  the  position  of  the  address. 


SOCIA2    LETTERS.  125 

Notice  the  following  forms: — • 

i 

G@teM^, 


•i-ri-e    ^tt 


m<u.  tu-cUmed- 
'U&w,  u&tt.  n.a<-i£e 


The  last  form  (3)  is  the  most  commonly  used,  and  is  preferable  for 
domestic  and  intimate  friendship  letters. 

The  complimentary  closing,  like  the  complimentary  address,  should 
be  governed  by  the  relations  existing  between  the  writer  and  his  corre- 
spondent. However,  do  not  use  the  same  term  in  the  address  and  in 
the  closing.  A  letter  beginning  Dear  Friend,  My  dear  Friend,  etc., 
should  never  be  closed  Your  friend,  Sincerely  your  friend,  etc.,  but 
rather,  Truly  yours,  Yours  sincerely,  Very  truly  yours,  etc.,  thus  avoid- 
ing tautology  in  the  use  of  the  term  friend. 

Give  your  signature  in  full,  so  that  the  letter  may  be  returned  to  you 
in  case  it  fails  to  be  delivered  to  your  correspondent.  This  precaution 


126  LETTER    WRITING. 


seems  necessary  (even  when  special  request  envelopes  are  used)  in  all 
important  letters.  If  a  letter  is  not  worth  having  returned  to  you,  do 
not  send  it. 

Many  writers  have  the  very  bad  habit  of  crosslining  their  letters. 
This  would  be  an  abominable  practice  even  if  the  penmanship  were 
clear  and  legible;  under  all  circumstances  it  is  not  to  be  tolerated. 
Paper  and  postage  are  so  cheap,  that,  for  the  sake  of  saving  an  extra 
sheet  or  double  postage,  you  have  no  right  to  impose  upon  the  good 
nature  of  your  correspondent  by  expecting  him  to  read  such  a  letter. 

Paragraphing  in  letters  should  be  governed  by  the  same  rules  used 
for  other  species  of  composition.  If  used  too  frequently  they  give  the 
letter  a .  broken  and  disconnected  appearance.  Some  writers  make  a 
distinct  paragraph  of  each  sentence;  others  omit  to  paragraph  at  all,  and 
thus  subject  their  correspondents  to  much  inconvenience  if  they  should 
wish  to  refer  to  a  particular  subject  or  division  of  a  subject.  Refer  to 
paragraphing,  page  81,  for  position. 

The  penmanship  must  be  plain,  neat,  and  perfectly  legible.  Many 
persons  affect  a  scrawl,  thinking  poor  penmanship  a  mark  of  genius. 
A  genius  may  write  poorly,  but  it  will  be  because  he  has  given  the  sub- 
ject no  attention — he  can  afford  to  be  careless  in  minor  points,  if  the 
beauty  of  the  construction  of  his  sentences  is  sufficient  to  attract  and 
hold  the  attention.  If  the  sentences  are  poorly  constructed  and  badly 
written,  nothing  can  save  the  writer  from  the  imputation  of  ignorance. 
Avoid  all  flourishing,  and  if  you  cannot  make  your  penmanship  elegant, 
at  least  make  it  legible,  and  save  your  correspondent  unnecessary  work 
in  deciphering.  Rather  a  small  handwriting  is  most  suitable  for  corre- 
spondence. 

Social  letters  do  not  require  that  only  every  other  page  should  be 
written  upon;  fill  each  page  before  proceeding  to  the  next.  Every 
mechanical  detail,  as  well  as  the  polishing  and  rounding  of  the  sentences, 
should  be  carefully  studied  if  you  wish  your  letter  to  be  appreciated. 

It  is  impossible  to  prescribe  any  particular  style  for  social  letters,  for 
the  styles  are  as  various  as  the  letters  themselves.  It  can  only  be  said 
that  the  style  must  suit  the  occasion.  A  playful,  bright,  and  sparkling 
style,  that  would  be  suitable  for  a  letter  of  congratulation  would  be 
utterly  unsuited  to  a  letter  of  condolence,  which  must  be  dignified,  as 
well  as  sympathetic,  to  show  a  proper  degree  of  respect. 

A  good  style  is  within  reach  of  all,  requiring  only  patience  and  perse- 
verance. He,  who  would  write  well,  must  begin  with  the  foundation  and 
acquire  a  thorough  knowledge  of  grammar  and  rhetoric. 

Practice  and  the  study  of  good  letters  will  accomplish  all  that  need 
be  desired,  after  the  foundation  is  secured. 


TITLES  AND  FORMS  OF  ADDRESS.  127 

Read  the  letters  at  the  close  of  this  volume  and  any  others  by  good 
authors  that  you  can  obtain.  No  other  means  will  cultivate  fluency  of 
expression  so  rapidly,  and  fluency  is  the  quality  most  to  be  desired. 

Do  not  underline  frequently;  when  used  often  it  loses  its  effect  and 
produces  no  distinct  impression. 

SECTION  IIL 

TITLES   AND   FORMS   OF  ADDRESS. 

The  following  abbreviations  are  supplementary  to  those  already 
given  on  page  5. 

Mr.,  mister.  Col.,  Colonel. 

Messrs.,  meaning  gentlemen.  Adm.,  Admiral. 

Mrs.,Mistress.  Commo.,  Commodore. 

L.  H.  D.,  Dr.  of  Polite  Literature.  Capt.,  Captain. 

J.  U.  D.,  Dr.  of  Canon  and  Civil  Com.,  Commander. 

Laws.  E.  E.  and  M.  P.,  Envoy  Extraordi- 

P.  L.,  Poet  Laureate  (Eng.).  .  nary  and   Minister   Plenipoten- 

C.  M.,  Master  in  Surgery.  tiary. 

T.  E.,  Topographic  Engineer.  M.  R.  and  C.  G.,  Minister  Resi- 

D.  E.,  Dynamic  Engineer.  dent  and  Consul-General. 

M.  E.,  Military  or  Mechanical  En-  Sec.  Leg.,  Secretary  of  Legation. 

gineer.  Int.,  Interpreter. 

Rt.  Rev.,  a  Bishop.  C.  G.,  Consul-General. 

C.  J.,  Chief  Justice.  V.  C.  G.,  Vice-Consul-General. 

Jus.,  Justice.  C.,  Consul. 

H.  Exc.,  His  Excellency,  Foreign  Con.  Agt,  Consular  Agent. 

Ministers  and  Governors.  C.  A.,  Commercial  Agent. 

Gen.,  General.  C.  S.  O.,  Chief  Signal  Officer. 

Lt.  Gen.,  Lieutenant-General.  Eng.  in  Chf.,  Engineer  in  Chief. 

Maj.  Gen.,  Major-General.  Lib.,  Librarian. 

The  subject  of  titles  is  an  important  one,  owing  to  their  universal  use. 
It  is  customary  to  apply  one  of  respect  where  there  is  neither  a  profes- 
sional nor  an  official  title.  The  writer  should  never  assume  a  title 
except  that  denoting  his  office  in  official  letters,  or  his  profession  in  busi- 
ness letters. 

Although  Mr.  and  Esq.  are  used  as  synonymous  terms,  Mr.  may  be 
used  with  more  freedom,  being  applicable  to  all  men,  while  Esq.  should 
only  be  used  in  addressing  those  who  have  by  their  own  exertions  gained 
a  right  to  the  respect  of  all  men.  The  higher  the  position,  however,  the 
less  the  necessity  for  distinctive  titles. 

The  man  distinguishes  the  title,  and  we  can  accord  him  no  higher 
compliment  than  by  addressing  him  as  Mr.  .  There  are  thousands 


128  LETTER    WRITING. 


of  Jeffersons  and  Lincolns,  but  if  we  say  Mr.  Jefferson  or  Mr.  Lincoln 
there  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  person  meant. 

Mr.  is  often  used  before  the  official  title,  as ;  Mr.  President,  Mr.  Sen- 
ator, etc.;  it  is  also  used  between  Rev.  and  the  surname  if  no  other 
title  is  given  and  the  Christian  name  is  not  known. 

Mrs.  is  applied  to  all  married  women,  and  if  the  husband  has  a  title, 
it  may  be  used  before  it,  as;  Mrs.  Admiral  Farragut,  Mrs.  Gen.  Grant, 
Mrs.  Rev.  L.  M.  Jones;  but  if  the  title  belongs  to  the  wife,  it  would 
precede  Mrs.,  as;  Rev.  Mrs.  L.  M.  Jones. 

If  a  lady  is  a  physician  or  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  her  title  should  be 
given  her,  as;  Rev.  Mrs.  Eliza  James,  or  Dr.  Eliza  James,  or  Eliza 
James,  M.  D. 

Miss  is  applied  to  all  unmarried  ladies;  if  there  are  two  or  more 
daughters  in  the  family  only  the  eldest  would  be  Miss  Smith,  Miss 
Jones,  etc.,  and  each  of  the  others  would  use  her  Christian  name,  as; 
Miss  Lizzie  Smith,  Miss  Carrie  Jones. 

Master  is  applied  to  all  boys,  and  was  formerly  applied  to  the  princi- 
pal or  teacher  in  Grammar  and  High  Schools,  but  its  use  is  discontinued. 
Professor  has  taken  its  place  and  is  a  much  abused  title.  It  belongs  by 
right  only  to  those  who  have  been  elected  to  a  professorship  in  a  char- 
tered institution  that  has  the  power  of  conferring  degrees.  Courtesy 
has  applied  it  to  all  noted  specialists. 

Another  misused  title  is  Doctor  of  Medicine  (M.  D.).  It  should 
only  be  applied  to  those  who  are  graduates  of  regular  colleges,  and 
quacks  who  assume  this  title  for  the  purpose  of  deluding  the  public 
should  be  punished  according  to  law. 

THE  PRESIDENT  is  the  form  used  in  addressing  our  Chief  Magistrate, 
and  is  more  distinctive  than  any  number  of  titles  would  be. 

All  civil  titles  should  belong  only  to  the  office  and  not  to  the  officer, 
and  should  not  be  retained  when  the  term  of  office  has  expired. 

HON.  properly  belongs  to  the  Vice-President,  Foreign  Ministers, 
Members  of  the  Cabinet,  and  Members  of  Congress.  Courtesy  has 
applied  it  to  so  many  undeserving,  that  it  has  ceased  to  imply  what  it 
once  did. 

U.  S.' A.  and  U.  S.  N.  are  written  by  the  officers  of  the  United  States 
Army  and  Navy  after  their  names,  as  some  of  them  could  not  otherwise 
be  distinguished  from  the  others,  the  titles  being  the  same. 

When  several  titles  belong  to  one  person,  only  use  the  most  honora- 
ble; but  if  all  were  given  they  should  be  named  in  the  order  in  which 
they  were  received. 


FOKMS  OF  ADDRESS. 


FORMS    OF    ADDRESS. 


.•—    (or)  . 

2 


(§. 


5 


e**™.—   (or) 

6 


130  LETTER     WXITJNG. 


\ZTt-i- .'— — 


Innumerable  other  examples  might  be  given,  but  they  would  not 
differ  materially  in  arrangement  from  those  preceding. 

The  closing  terms  of  respect  in  a  letter  should  receive  special  atten- 
tion. Annexed  are  a  few  from  the  letters  of  well-known  writers.  They 
should  never  appear  abrupt  and  disconnected  from  the  letter. 

i 

If  there  be  anything  with  regard  to  the  choice  or  matter  of  your  studies  in  which  I 
can  assist  you,  let  me  know,  as  you  can  have  no  doubt  of  my  being  in  all  things, 

Most  affectionately  yours, 
G    H. 

2 

Go  on,  my  dear  brother,  in  the  admirable  dispositions  you  have  toward  all  that  is 
right  and  good.  I  have  neither  paper  nor  words  to  tell  you  how  tenderly  I  am  yours 

C. 

3 

The  best  wishes  that  can  oe  Tound  for  your  health,  honor,  and  happiness,  ever 
attend  you,  from  yours,  etc.,  B.  F. 

4 
Believe  me  ever,  dear  Miss  Edgeworth, 

Yours  with  the  greatest  truth  and  respect, 

Walter  Scott. 

5 

Let  me  conclude  by  saying  to  you  what  I  have  had  too  frequent  occasion  to  say  to 
my  other  remaining  old  friends,  ttte  fewer  we  become,  the  more  let  us  love  one  another. 

Adieu,  &c., 

B.  Franklin. 
6 

Once  more  I  beg  to  hear  speedily  from  you.  Jane  and  Dick  are  truly  yours,  so  is 
my  dear  uncle,  your  affectionate  kinsman  and  humble  servant, 

E.  B. 


LETTERS   AND    EXTRACTS.  131 

7 

Believe  me  to  be,  with  the  utmost  sincerity,  as  I  really  am,  madam,  your  faithful, 
humble  servant, 

8 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Rev.  Sir,  &c., 

B.  F. 


To  that  mercy,  my  dear  cousin,  I  commend  you,  with  earnest  wishes  for  your  wel- 
fare, and  remain  your  ever  affectionate, 

W.  Cowper. 
10 

To  this,  however  painful  for  the  present,  I  cannot  but  advise  you,  as  to  a  source 
•of  comfort  and  satisfaction  in  the  time  to  come;  for  all  comfort  and  all  satisfaction  is 
sincerely  wished  you  by,  dear  sir,  yours  &c., 

S.  Johnson. 
II 

The  tenderest  regard  evermore  awaits  you  from  your  most  affectionate, 


Believe  me,  my  dear  sir, 

Yours  very  sincerely, 

O.   W.   Holmes. 
13 

Ever  yours, 

Charles  Sumner. 

SECTION   IV. 
LETTERS   AND    EXTRACTS    FROM    LETTERS. 

Among  the  following  letters  may  be  found  every  grace  of  composi- 
tion, ease,  naturalness,  beauty  of  thought  and  of  expression,  rhetorical 
elegance  and  logical  exactness.  Those  given  can  convey  but  the 
merest  outline  of  what  may  be  found  in  the  field  of  letters,  but  will 
point  the  way,  to  the  careful  student,  so  that  he  may  form  his  own  style 
in  accordance  with  the  best  models.  No  earnest  student  should  be 
satisfied  with  the  little  given  here,  but  should  obtain  the  volumes  from 
which  they  are  selected. 

The  following  is  a  letter  from  Wolfgang  Mozart  when  fourteen  years 
of  age: — 

Milan,  Nov.  3,  1770. 
My  very  dearly  loved  Sister: — 

I  thank  you  and  mamma  for  your  sincere  good  wishes;  my  most  ardent  desire  is 
to  see  you  both  soon  in  Salzburg.  In  reference  to  your  congratulations,  I  may  say 
that  I  believe  Herr  Martinelli  suggested  your  Italian  project.  My  dear  sister,  you 
are  always  so  very  clever,  and  contrived  it  all  so  charmingly  that,  just  underneath 
your  congratulations  in  Italian,  followed  M.  Martini's  compliments  in  the  same  style 


132  LETTER     WRITING. 


of  penmanship,  so  that  I  could  not  possibly  find  you  out;  nor  did  I  do  so,  and  I 
immediately  said  to  papa,  "Oh!  how  I  do  wish  I  were  as  clever  and  witty  as  she  is!" 
Then  papa  answered,  "Indeed  that  >'s  true  enough."  On  which  I  rejoined,  "Oh!  I 
am  so  sleepy;"  so  he  merely  replied,  "Then  stop  writing."  Addiol  Pray  to  God 
that  my  opera  may  be  successful.  I  am  vour  brother, 

W.  M., 
whose  fingers  are  weary  from  writing. 

Dec.  8,  1883. 
My  dear  Moore: — 

Your  letter,  like  the  best,  and  even  kindest  things  in  this  world,  is  both  painful 
and  pleasing.  But,  first,  to  what  sits  nearest.  Do  you  know  I  was  actually  about 
to  dedicate  to  you — not  in  formal  inscription,  as  to  one's  elders — but  through  a 
short  prefatory  letter,  in  which  I  boasted  myself  your  intimate,  and  held  forth  the 
prospect  oiyour  poem;  when  lo!  the  recollection  of  your  strict  injunctions  of  secrecy 
as  to  the  said  poem,  more  than  once  repeated  by  word  and  letter,  flashed  upon  me, 
and  marred  my  intents.  I  could  have  no  motive  for  repressing  my  own  desire  of 
alluding  to  you  (and  not  a  day  passes  that  I  do  not  think  and  talk  of  you),  but  an 
idea  that  you  might,  yourself,  dislike  it.  You  cannot  doubt  my  sincere  admiration, 
waiving  personal  friendship  for  the  present,  which,  by  the  by,  is  not  less  sincere  and 
deep-rooted. 

I  have  you  by  rote  and  by  heart;  of  which  "ecce  signum!"    When  I  was  at , 

on  my  first  visit,  I  have  a  habit,  in  passing  my  time  a  good  deal  alone,  of — I  won't 
call  it  singing,  for  that  I  never  attempt  except  to  myself — but  of  uttering,  to  what  I 
think  tunes,  your  "Oh  breathe  not,"  "When  the  last  glimpse,"  and  "When  he  who 
adores  thee,"  with  others  of  the  same  minstrel — they  are  my  matins  and  vespers. 

I  assuredly  did  not  intend  them  to  be  overheard,  but,  one  morning,  in  comes,  not 
La  Donna,  but  II  Marito,  with  a  very  grave  face,  saying,  "Byron,  I  must  request  you 
won't  sing  any  more,  at  least  of  those  songs."  I  started  and  said,  "Certainly,  but 
why?"  "To  tell  the  truth,"  quoth  he,  "they  make  my  wife  cry,  and  so  melancholy 
that  I  wish  her  to  hear  no  more  of  them." 

Now,  my  dear  M.,  the  effect  must  have  been  from  your  words,  and  certainly  not 
my  music.  I  merely  mention  this  foolish  story  to  show  you  how  much  I  am  indebted 
to  you  for  even  your  pastimes. 

Write  to  me  and  tell  me  of  yourself.  Do  you  remember  what  Rousseau  said  to 
some  one — "Have  we  quarreled?  You  have  talked  to  me  often,  and  never  once 
mentioned  yourself. "  Byron. 

P.  S.  The  last  sentence  is  an  indirect  apology  for  my  own  egotism,  but  I  believe 
in  letters  it  is  allowed.  I  wish  it  was  mutual.  I  have  met  with  an  odd  reflection  in 
Grimm;  it  shall  not— at  least  the  bad  part — be  applied  to  you  or  me,  though  one  of  us 
has  certainly  an  indifferent  name — but  this  it  is: — "Many  people  have  the  reputation 
of  being  wicked,  with  whom  we  should  be  too  happy  to  pass  our  lives."  I  need  not 
add  it  is  a  woman's  saying — a  Mademoiselle  de  Sommery's. 

Notice  the  form  of  address  in  the  following  letter.  All  other  nations 
have  a  tendency  to  use  much  more  formal  introductions  to  their  letters 
than  do  Americans. 

Stuttgard,  4th  June,  1782. 

Empire-free,  Highly- wellborn,  Particularly-much-to-be-venerated,  Lord  Privy  Coun- 
selor:— 
The  satisfaction  I  enjoyed  at  Mannheim  in  such  copious  fullness,  I  have  paid,  since 


LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS.  133 

my  return,  by  this  epidemical  disorder,  which  has  made  me  till  to-day  entirely  unfit 
to  thank  your  Excellency  for  so  much  regard  and  kindness.  And  yet  I  am  forced 
almost  to  repent  the  happiest  journey  of  my  life;  for  by  a  truly  mortifying  contrast  of 
Mannheim  with  my  native  country,  it  has  pained  me  so  much,  that  Stuttgard  and  all 
Swabian  scenes  are  become  intolerable  to  me.  Unhappier  than  I  am  can  no  one  be. 
I  have  feeling  enough  of  my  bad  condition,  perhaps  also  feeling  enough  of  my  merit- 
ing a  better;  and  in  both  points  of  view  but  one  prospect  of  relief.  May  I  dare  to 
cast  myself  into  your  arms,  my  generous  benefactor? 

I  know  how  soon  your  generous  heart  inflames  when  sympathy  and  humanity 
appeal  to  it;  I  know  how  strong  your  courage  is  to  undertake  a  noble  action,  and 
how  warm  your  zeal  to  finish  it.  My  new  friends  in  Mannheim,  whose  respect  for 
you  is  boundless,  told  me  this;  but  their  assurance  was  not  necessary;  I  myself  in  that 
hour  of  your  time,  which  I  had  the  happiness  exclusively  to  enjoy,  read  in  your  coun- 
tenance far  more  than  they  had  told  me. 

It  is  this  which  makes  me  bold  to  give  myself  without  reserve  to  you,  to  put  my 
whole  fate  into  your  hands,  and  to  look  to  you  for  the  happiness  of  my  life.  As  yet 
I  am  little  or  nothing.  In  this  Arctic  zone  of  tarte,  I  shall  never  grow  to  anything, 
unless  happier  stars  and  a  Grecian  climate  warm  me  into  genuine  poetry.  Need  I  say 
more,  to  expect  from  Dalberg  all  support? 

Schiller. 

The  following  is  a  letter  of  Mrs.  John  Adams,  written  before  her 
marriage : — 

Weymouth,  i6th  Apr.,  1864. 
My  Friend:— 

I  think  I  write  to  you  every  day.  Shall  not  I  make  my  letters  very  cheap? 
Don't  you  light  your  pipe  with  them?  I  care  not  if  you  do.  "Pis  a  pleasure  to  me  to 
write.  Yet  I  wonder  I  write  to  you  with  so  little  restraint,  for,  as  a  critic,  I  fear  you 
more  than  any  other  person  on  earth;  and  'tis  the  only  character  in  which  I  ever  did 
or  ever  will  fear  you.  What  say  you?  Do  you  approve  of  that  speech?  Don't  you 
think  me  a  courageous  being?  Courage  is  a  laudable,  a  glorious  virtue,  in  your  sex, 
why  not  in  mine?  For  my  part,  I  think  you  ought  to  applaud  me  for  mine. 

Here  are  love,  respects,  regards,  good  wishes — a  whole  wagon-load  of  them,  sent 
you  from  all  the  good  folks  in  the  neighborhood.  To-morrow  makes  the  fourteenth 
day.  How  many  mote  are  to  come?  I  dare  not  trust  myself  with  the  thought. 
Adieu.  Let  me  hear  from  you  by  Mr.  Cyers,  and  excuse  this  very  bad  writing;  if 
you  had  mended  my  pen  it  would  have  been  better.  Once  more,  adieu.  Gold  and 
silver  have  I  none,  but  such  as  I  have  give  I  unto  thee — which  is,  the  affectionate 
regard  of  your 

A.  S . 

Extract  from  a  letter  to  Mrs.  L.  H.  Sigourney,  of  Connecticut,  from 
the  wife  of  the  poet  SOUTHEY.  of  England: — 

You  desire  to  be  remembered  to  him  who  sang  of  "Thalaba,  the  wild  and  won- 
drous tale."  Alas!  my  friend,  the  dull,  cold  ear  of  death  is  not  more  insensible  than 
his,  my  dearest  husband's,  to  all  communication  from  the  world  without.  Scarcely 
can  I  keep  hold  of  the  last  poor  comfort  of  believing  that  he  still  knows  me.  This 
Almost  complete  unconsciousness  has  not  been  of  more  than  six  month's  standing, 
though  more  than  two  years  have  elapsed  since  he  has  written  even  his  name.  After 
ihe  death  of  his  first  wife,  the  "Edith"  of  his  first  love,  who  was  for  several  years 


LETTER    WRITING. 


insane,  his  health  was  terribly  shaken.  Yet,  for  the  greater  part  of  a  year,  that  he 
spent  with  me  in  Hampshire,  my  former  home,  it  seemed  perfectly  re-established, 
and  he  used  to  say,  "It  had  surely  pleased  God  that  the  last  years  of  his  life  should 
be  happy."  But  the  Almighty's  will  was  otherwise.  The  little  cloud  soon  appeared, 
which  was,  in  no  long  time,  to  overshadow  all.  In  the  blackness  of  its  shadow  we 
still  live,  and  shall  pass  from  under  it  only  through  the  portals  of  the  grave. 

The  last  three  years  have  done  on  me  the  work  of  twenty.  The  one  sole  business 
of  my  life  is,  that  which  I  verily  believe  keeps  the  life  in  me,  the  guardianship  of  my 
dear,  helpless,  unconscious  husband. 

DR.  FRANKLIN  TO  DAVID  HARTLEY,   ESQ.,  M.  P. 

Passy,  July5i  1785. 

I  cannot  quit  the  coasts  of  Europe  without  taking  leave  of  my  ever  dear  friend,  Mr. 
Hartley.  We  were  long  fellow-laborers  in  the  best  of  all  works,  the  work  of  peace. 
I  leave  you  still  in  the  field;  but,  having  finished  my  day's  task,  I  am  going  home  to 
go  to  bed.  Wish  me  a  good  night's  rest,  as  I  do  you  a  pleasant  evening.  Adieuj 
and  believe  me  ever  yours  most  affectionately, 

B.  Franklin. 

WILLIAM   COWPER,    ESQ.,    TO   LADY    HESKETH. 

Your  letters  are  so  much  my  comfort  that  I  often  tremble  lest  by  some  accident  I 
should  be  disappointed ;  and  the  more,  because  you  have  been,  more  than  once,  so 
engaged  in  company  on  the  writing  day,  that  I  have  had  a  narrow  escape.  Let  me 
give  you  a  piece  of  good  counsel,  my  cousin;  follow  my  laudable  example;  write  when 
you  can;  take  Time's  forelock  in  one  hand  and  a  pen  in  the  other,  and  so  make  sure 
of  your  opportunity.  It  is  well  for  me  that  you  write  faster  than  anybody,  and 
more  in  an  hour  than  other  people  in  two,  else  I  know  not  what  would  become  of 
me.  When  I  read  your  letters  I  hear  you  talk,  and  I  love  talking  letters  dearly, 
especially  from  you.  Well!  the  middle  of  June  will  not  be  always  a  thousand  years 
off;  and  when  it  comes  I  shall  hear  you  and  see  you  too,  and  shall  not  care  a  farthing 
then  if  you  do  not  touch  a  pen  in  a  month. 

O.    W.    HOLMES   TO   NATHANIEL   HAWTHORNE. 

Boston,  April  9,  1851. 
My  dear  Sir:— 

I  have  been  confined  to  my  chamber  and  almost  to  my  bed  for  some  days  since 
I  received  your  note;  and  in  the  meantime  I  have  received  what  was  even  more 
welcome,  the  new  Romance  "from  the  author."  While  I  was  too  ill  to  read,  my 
wife  read  it  to  me,  so  that  you  have  been  playing  physician  to  my  heartaches  and 
headaches  at  once,  with  the  magnetism  of  your  imagination.  *  *  * 

I  don't  want  to  refuse  anything  you  ask  me  to  do.  I  shall  come  up,  I  trust  about 
the  1st  of  June.  I  would  look  over  the  MS.  in  question,  as  a  duty,  with  as  much 
pleasure  as  many  other  duties  afford.  To  say  the  truth,  I  have  as  great  a  dread  of 
the  Homo  Candalus  Linn.,  Anglic6,  the  Being  with  a  Tale,  male  or  female,  as  any 
can  have. 

"If  foes  they  wrife,  if  friends  they  read  me  dead,"  said  poor  Hepzi ban's  old 
exploded  poet.  Still,  if  it  must  be,  I  will  stipulate  to  read  a  quantity  not  exceeding 
fifty-six  pounds  avoirdupois  by  weight,  or  eighteen  reams  by  measure,  or  "tale," 
provided  there  is  no  locomotion  in  the  case.  The  idea  of  visiting  Albany  does  not 
enter  into  my  intentions.  I  do  not  know  who  would  serve  as  a  third  or  a  second 


LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS.  135 

member  of  the  committee;  Miss  Sedgwick,  if  the  Salic  law  does  not  prevail  in  Berk- 
shire, is  the  most  natural  person  to  do  it.  But  the  real  truth  is,  the  little  Albaneses 
want  to  see  the  author  of  "The  Scarlet  Letter,"  and  don't  care  a  sixpence  who  else 
is  on  the  committee.  That  is  what  they  are  up  to.  So  if  you  want  two  dummies, 
on  the  classical  condition  not  to  leave  the  country  except  in  case  of  invasion,  absentees, 
voters  by  proxy,  potential  but  not  personally  present  bottle-holders,  I  will  add  my 
name  to  those  of  Latimer,  Ridley,  and  Co.,  as  a  Martyr  in  the  cause  of  Human 
Progress. 

Believe  me,  my  dear  Sir, 

Yours  very  sincerely, 

O.  W.  Holme*. 
To  Nathaniel  Hawthorne. 

GOETHE'S  MOTHER  TO  BETTINE  BRENTANO. 

Frankfort,  May  12,  1808. 
Dear  Bettine:— 

Thy  letters  give  me  joy,  and  Miss  Betty,  who  recognizes  them  on  the  address, 
says: — "Frau  Rath,  the  postman  brings  you  a  pleasure."  Don't  however  be  too 
mad  about  my  son,  everything  must  be  done  in  order.  The  brown  room  is  new 
papered  with  the  pattern  which  you  chose;  the  color  blends  peculiarly  well  with  the 
morning-twilight,  which  breaks  over  the  Catherine-tower,  and  enters  into  my  room. 
Yesterday  our  town  looked  quite  holiday-like,  in  the  spotless  light  of  the  alba. 
Except  this,  everything  remains  as  it  was.  Be  in  no  trouble  about  the  footstool, 
for  Betty  suffers  no  one  to  sit  upon  it. 

Write  much,  even  if  it  were  every  day.  Thy  affectionate  friend, 

Elizabeth  Goethe. 

GOETHE   TO  BETTINE. 

Thou  art  a  sweet-minded  child;  I  read  thy  dear  letters  with  inward  pleasure,  and 
shall  surely  always  read  them  again  with  the  same  enjoyment.  Thy  pictures  of 
what  has  happened  to  thee,  with  all  thy  inward  feelings  of  tenderness,  and  what  thy 
witty  demon  inspires  thee  with,  are  real  original  sketches,  which,  in  the  midst  of 
more  serious  occupations,  cannot  be  denied  their  high  interest,  take  it,  therefore,  as 
a  hearty  truth,  when  I  thank  thee  for  them.  Preserve  thy  confidence  in  me,  and  let 
it,  if  possible,  increase.  Thou  wilt  always  be,  and  remain  to  me,  what  thou  now  art. 
How  can  one  requite  thee,  except  by  being  willing  to  be  enriched  with  all  thy  good 
gifts.  Thou  thyself  knowest  how  much  thou  art  to  my  mother,  her  letters  overflow 
with  praise  and  love.  Continue  to  dedicate  lovely  monuments  of  remembrance  to 
the  fleeting  moments  of  thy  good  fortune.  I  cannot  promise  thee  that  I  will  not 
presume  to  work  out  themes  as  high-gifted  and  full  of  life,  if  they  still  speak  as  truly 
and  warmly  to  the  heart. 

The  grapes  at  my  window,  which  before  their  blossom,  and  now  a  second  time, 
were  witnesses  of  thy  friendly  vision,  swell  in  their/ ripeness;  I  will  not  pluck  them 
without  thinking  of  thee.  Write  to  me  soon,  and  love  me. 

Goethe. 

BETTINE    BRENTANO   TO    GOETHE. 

June,  1810. 

Dearest  Friend: — As  far  as  it  concerned  him,  I  have  imparted  your  beautiful  letter 
to  Beethoven;  he  was  full  of  delight,  and  exclaimed,  "If  any  one  can  give  him  an 
understanding  of  music,  it  is  I."  The  idea  of  searching  for  you  at  Carlsbad  he 
teizes  with  enthusiasm;  he  struck  his  head  and  said,  "could  not  I  have  done  that 


136  LETTER    WRITING. 


before?  but  I  have  already  thought  of  it;  I  have  only  desisted  through  timidity, 
which  often  mocks  my  purpose,  as  if  I  were  no  real  man,  but  now  I  am  no  longer 
afraid  of  Goethe."  You  may,  therefore,  reckon  upon  seeing  him  next  year. 

And  now  I  shall  only  answer  the  last  words  of  your  letter,  from  which  I  "gather 
honey."  All  things  around  me  change,  it  is  true,  but  do  not  grow  in  beauty;  the 
most  beautiful  is,  still,  that  I  know  of  you,  and  nothing  would  delight  me,  if  you  were 
not,  to  whom  I  may  impart  it;  and,  if  you  doubt  it,  then  you  will  take  care  of  itj 
and  I,  too,  am  happier  than  all  numbered  and  unnumbered  friends  could  make  me. 
My  Wolfgang!  you  do  not  number  among  these  friends;  rather  would  I  number 
none. 

Both  the  songs  of  Beethoven  accompany  this,  the  other  two  are  by  me;  Beethoven 
has  seen  them,  and  paid  me  many  compliments  about  them;  as  that,  if  I  had  devoted 
myself  to  this  art,  I  might  have  built  high  hopes  upon  it,  but  I  only  touch  it  in 
flight,  for  my  art  is  laughing  and  sighing  in  a  breath,  and  beyond  this  I  have  none. 

Adieu,  Bettine. 

HAWTHORNE  TO  HIS  MOTHER. 

Salem,  March  7,  1820. 
Dear  Mother: — 

I  have  left  school,  and  have  begun  to  fit  for  College  under  Benjm.  L.  Oliver, 
Lawyer.  So  you  are  in  great  danger  of  having  one  learned  man  in  your  family. 
Mr.  Oliver  thought  I  could  enter  College  next  commencement,  but  Uncle  Robert  is 
afraid  I  should  have  to  study  too  hard.  I  get  my  lessons  at  home,  and  recite  them 
to  him  (Mr.  Oliver)  at  7  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Shall  you  want  me  to  be  a  Min- 
ister, Doctor,  or  Lawyer?  A  minister  I  will  not  be.  I  am  extremely  homesick. 

0  how  I  wish  I  was  again  with  you,  with  nothing  to  do  but  to  go  a  gunning.     But 
the  happiest  days  of  my  life  are  gone.     After  I  have  got  through  college,  I  will  come 
down  to  learn  E Latin  and  Greek. 

1  remain, 

your 

affectionate 
and 

dutiful 
son, 
and 
most 

obedient 
and 
most 

humble 
servant, 
and 

most 

respectful 
and 
most 
hearty 

well-wisher, 
Nathaniel  Hawthorne. 


LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS.  137 

HAWTHORNE  TO  LONGFELLOW. 

Salem,  June  19,  1837. 
Dear  Longfellow: — 

I  have  to-day  received  and  read  with  huge  delight,  your  review  of  "Hawthorne's 
Twice  Told  Tales."  I  frankly  own  that  I  was  not  without  hopes  that  you  would  do 
this  kind  office  for  the  book;  though  I  could  not  have  anticipated  how  very  kindly 
it  would  be  done.  Whether  or  no  the  public  will  agree  to  the  praise  which  you 
bestow  on  me,  there  are  at  least  five  persons  who  think  you  the  most  sagacious 
critic  on  earth,  viz.,  my  mother  and  two  sisters,  my  old  maiden  auat,  and  finally  the 
strongest  believer  of  the  whole  five,  my  own  self.  If  I  doubt  the  sincerity  and  cor- 
rectness of  any  of  my  critics,  it  shall  be  of  those  who  censure  me.  Hard  would  be  the 
lot  of  a  poor  scribbler,  if  he  may  not  have  this  privilege. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 
Nath.  Hawthorne. 

HENRY  W.  LONGFELLOW  TO  HAWTHORNE. 

My  dear  Hawthorne: — 

I  have  been  waiting  and  waiting  in  the  hope  of  seeing  you  in  Cambridge.  I 
have  been  meditating  upon  your  letter,  and  pondering  with  friendly  admiration  your 
reviews  of  "Evangeline"  in  connection  with  the  subject  of  which,  that  is  to  say,  the 
Acadians,  a  literary  project  arises  in  my  mind  for  you  to  execute.  Perhaps  I  can 
pay  you  back  in  part  your  own  generous  gift,  by  giving  you  a  theme  for  story,  in 
return  for  a  theme  for  song.  It  is  neither  more  nor  less  than  the  history  of  the 
Acadians,  after  their  expulsion  as  well  as  before.  Felton  has  been  making  some 
researches  in  the  State  archives,  and  offers  to  resign  the  documents  into  your  hands. 
Pray  come  and  see  me  about  it  without  delay.  Come  so  as  to  pass  a  night  with  us, 
if  possible,  this  week;  if  not  a  day  and  night. 

Ever  sincerely  yours, 
Henry  W.  Longfellow. 

CHARLES  BURROUGHS  TO  HAWTHORNE. 

Portsmouth,  Sept.,  1860. 
Mr.  Hawthorne, 

My  dear  Sir: — There  are  no  Mosses  on  our  "Old  Manse,"  there  is  no  Romance 
at  our  "Blithedale;"  and  this  is  no  "Scarlet  Letter."  But  you  can  give  us  a  "Twice 
Told  Tale, "  if  you  will  for  the  second  time  be  our  guest  to-morrow  at  dinner,  at 
half  past  two  o'clock. 

Very  truly  yours, 
Charles  Burroughs. 
M.  R.  MITFORD  TO  HAWTHORNE. 

Swallowfield,  Aug.  6,  1852. 

At  the  risk  of  troubling  you,  dear  Mr.  Hawthorne,  I  write  again  to  tell  you  how 
much  I  thank  you  for  the  precious  volume  enriched  by  your  handwriting,  which,  for 
its  own  sake  and  for  yours,  I  shall  treasure  carefully  so  long  as  I  live.  The  story 
has  your  mark  upon  it,  the  fine  tragic  construction  unmatched  amongst  living  authors, 
the  passion  of  the  concluding  scenes,  the  subtle  analysis  of  jealousy,  the  exquisite 
finish  of  style.  I  must  tell  you  what  one  of  the  cleverest  men  whom  I  have  ever 
known,  an  Irish  barrister,  the  juvenile  correspondent  of  Miss  Edgeworth,  says  of 
your  style:  "His  English  is  the  richest  and  most  intense  essence  of  the  language  I 


138  LETTER    WRITING. 


know  of;  his  words  conveying  not  only  a  meaning,  but  more  than  they  appear  to 
mean.  They  point  onward  or  upward  or  downward,  as  the  case  may  be,  and  we 
cannot  help  following  them  with  the  eyes  of  imagination,  sometimes  smiling,  some- 
times weeping,  sometimes  shuddering,  as  if  we  were  victims  of  the  mesmeric  influence 
he  is  so  fond  of  bringing  to  bear  upon  his  characters.  Three  of  the  most  perfect 
Englishmen  of  our  day  are  Americans,  Irving,  Prescott,  and  this  great  new  writer 
Mr.  Hawthorne."  So  far  my  friend  Mr.  Hockey.  I  forget,  dear  Mr.  Hawthorne, 
whether  I  told  you  that  the  writer  of  whose  works  you  remind  me,  not  by  imitation, 
but  by  resemblance,  is  the  great  French  novelist,  Balzac.  Do  you  know  his  books? 
He  is  untranslated  and  untranslatable,  and  it  requires  the  greatest  familiarity  with 
French  literature  to  relish  him  thoroughly.  I  doubt  if  he  be  much  known  amongst 
you;  at  least,  I  have  never  seen  him  alluded  to  in  American  literature.  He  has,  of 
course,  the  low  morality  of  a  Frenchman,  but,  being  what  he  is,  Mrs.  Browning  and 
1  used  to  discuss  his  personages  like  living  people,  and  regarded  his  death  as  a  great 
personal  calamity  to  both.  I  am  expecting  Mrs.  Browning  here  in  a  few  days,  not 
being  well  enough  to  meet  her  in  London.  How  I  wish,  dear  Mr.  Hawthorne,  that 
you  were  here  to  meet  them!  The  day  will  come,  I  hope.  It  would  be  good  foi 
your  books  to  look  at  Europe,  and  all  of  Europe  that  knows  our  tongue  would 
rejoice  to  look  at  you. 

Ever  your  obliged  and  affectionate  friend, 

M.  R.  Mitford. 

CHARLES  SUMNER  TO  HAWTHORNE. 

Senate  Chamber,  Mar.  26,  1853. 
My  dear  Hawthorne: — 

Good!  good!  I  exclaimed  aloud  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate  as  your  nomination 
was  announced. 

Good!  good!  I  now  write  to  you  on  its  confirmation.  Nothing  could  be  more 
grateful  to  me.  Before  you  go,  I  hope  to  see  you. 

Ever  yours, 

Charles  Sumner. 

J.  R.  LOWELL  TO  HAWTHORNE. 

Cambridge,  May,  1863. 

My  dear  Hawthorne: — 

I  hope  you  have  not  forgotten  that  during  "anniversary  week"  you  were  to 
make  me  a  little  anniversary  by  a  visit.  I  have  been  looking  forward  to  it  ever  so 
long.  My  plan  is  that  you  come  on  Friday,  so  as  to  attend  the  election  meeting  of 
our  club,  and  then  stay  over  Sunday,  and  Monday,  and  Tuesday,  which  is  the  last  day 
of  my  holidays.  How  will  that  do?  I  am  glad  to  hear  your  book  is  going  through 
the  press,  and  you  will  be  nearer  your  proof  sheets  here.  I  have  pencils  of  all 
colors  for  correcting  in  all  moods  of  mind, — red  for  sanguine  moments  when  one 
thinks  there  is  some  use  in  writing  at  all,  blue  for  a  modest  depression,  and  black  for 
times  when  one  is  satisfied  there  is  no  longer  an  intelligent  public,  nor  one  reader  of 
taste  left  in  the  world.  You  shall  have  a  room  to  yourself,  nearly  as  high  and  quite 
as  easy  of  access  as  your  tower,  and  I  pledge  myself  that  my  crows,  cat-birds,  orioles, 
chimney-  swallows,  and  squirrels  shall  present  you  with  the  freedom  of  their  city  in  a 
hollow  walnut,  so  soon  as  you  arrive. 

Now  will  you  write  and  say  when  you  are  to  be  expected?  I  assure  you  I  have 
looked  forward  to  your  coming  as  one  of  my  chiefest  spring  pleasures,  ranking  it 
with  the  advent  of  the  birds. 

Always  cordially  yours, 

J.  K.  Lowell. 


LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS.  139 

ON    THE    EVE   OF    THE    BATTLE   OF    DUNBAR — OLIVER  CROMWELL  TO  SIR  ARTHUR 
HESELRIO. 

Dunbar,  2d  Sept.,  1650. 

*  *  *  do  you  get  together  what  forces  you  can  against  them.  Send 
to  friends  in  the  South  to  help  with  more.  Let  II.  Vane  know  what  I  write.  1 
would  not  make  it  public  lest  danger  should  accrue  thereby.  You  know  what  use  to 
make  hereof.  Let  me  hear  from  you.  I  rest,  your  servant, 

Oliver  Cromwell. 

HORACE   WALPOLE  TO   H.    S.    CONWAY. 

Arlington  Street,  July  12,  1770. 

Reposing  under  my  laurels!  No,  no,  I  am  reposing  in  a  much  better  tent,  under 
the  tester  of  my  own  bed.  I  am  not  obliged  to  rise  by  break  of  day,  and  be 
dressed  for  the  drawing-room.  I  may  saunter  in  my  slippers  till  dinner-time,  and 
not  make  bows  till  my  back  is  as  much  out  of  joint  as  my  Lord  Temple's.  In  short, 
I  should  die  of  the  gout  or  fatigue,  if  I  was  to  be  Polonius  to  a  Princess  for  another 
week.  Twice  a  day  we  made  a  pilgrimage  to  almost  every  heathen  temple  in  that 
province  they  call  a  garden;  and  there  is  no  sallying  out  of  the  house  without  descend- 
ing a  flight  of  steps  as  high  as  St.  Paul's.  My  Lord  Besborough  would  have  dragged 
me  up  to  the  top  of  the  column  to  see  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth;  but  I  would  not, 
if  he  could  have  given  them  to  me. 

To  crown  all,  because  we  live  under  the  line,  and  that  we  were  all  of  us  giddy 
young  creatures  of  near  threescore,  we  supped  in  a  grotto  in  the  elysian  fields,  and 
were  refreshed  with  rivers  of  dew  and  gentle  showers  that  dripped  from  all  the  trees, 
and  put  us  in  mind  of  the  heroic  ages,  when  kings  and  queens  were  shepherds  and 
shepherdesses,  and  lived  in  caves,  and  were  wet  to  the  skin  two  or  three  times  a  day. 
Well!  thank  heaven,  I  am  emerged  from  that  elysium,  and  once  more  in  a  Christian 
country!  Not  but,  to  say  the  truth,  our  pagan  landlord  and  landlady  were  very 
obliging,  and  the  party  went  off  much  better  than  I  expected.  The  six  days  rolled 
away,  and  the  seventh  is  my  sabbath;  and  I  promise  you  I  will  do  no  manner  of 
work,  I,  nor  my  cat,  nor  my  dog,  nor  anything  that  is  mine.  For  this  reason,  I 
entreat  that  the  journey  to  Goodwood  may  not  take  place  before  the  I2th  of  August, 
when  I  will  attend  you. 

There  are  not  twenty  people  in  all  London.  Are  not  you  in  despair  about  the 
summer?  It  is  horrid  to  be  ruined  in  coals  in  June  and  July. 

Adieu.     Yours  ever, 
Horace  Walpole. 

DANIEL  WEBSTER  TO  MRS.  J.  W.  PAGE. 

Richmond,  April  29,  1841. 
Five  o'clock  A.  M. 

Whether  it  be  a  favor  or  an  annoyance,  you  owe  this  letter  to  my  habit  of  early 
rising.  From  the  hour  marked  at  the  top  of  the  page  you  will  naturally  conclude 
that  my  companions  are  not  now  engaging  my  attention,  as  we  have  not  calculated 
on  being  early  travelers  to-day. 

It  is  morning,  and  a  morning  sweet  and  fresh  and  delightful.  Everybody  knows 
the  morning  in  its  metaphorical  sense,  applied  to  so  many  objects  and  on  so  many 
occasions.  The  health,  strength  and  beauty  of  early  years  lead  us  to  call  that  period 
<he  "morning  of  life."  Of  a  lovely  young  woman  we  say,  she  is  "bright  as  the 


140  LETTER    WRITING. 


morning;"  and  no  one  doubts  why  Lucifer  is  called  "son  of  the  morning."  But  the 
morning  itself  few  people,  inhabitants  of  cities,  know  anything  about.  Among  all 
our  good  people  of  Boston,  not  one  in  a  thousand  sees  the  sun  rise  once  a  year. 
Thev  know  nothing  of  the  morning.  Their  idea  of  it  is,  that  it  is  that  part  of  the  day 
which  comes  along  after  a  cup  of  coffee  and  a  beefsteak,  or  a  piece  of  toast.  With 
them  morning  is  not  a  new  issuing  of  light,  a  new  bursting  forth  of  the  sun,  a  new 
waking  up  of  all  that  has  life,  from  a  sort  of  temporary  death,  to  behold  again  the 
works  of  God,  the  heavens  and  the  earth;  it  is  only  a  part  of  the  domestic  day, 
belonging  to  breakfast,  to  reading  the  newspapers,  answering  notes,  sending  the 
children  to  school,  and  giving  orders  for  dinner.  The  first  faint  streak  of  light,  the 
earliest  purpling  of  the  east  which  the  lark  springs  up  to  greet,  and  the  deeper  and 
deeper  coloring  into  orange  and  red,  till  at  length  the  "glorious  sun  is  seen,  regent 
of  day;"  this  they  never  enjoy,  for  this  they  never  see. 

Beautiful  descriptions  of  the  morning  abound  in  all  languages,  but  they  are  the 
strongest  perhaps  in  those  of  the  East,  where  the  sun  is  so  often  an  object  of  wor- 
ship.   *  . 

I  never  thought  that  Adam  had  much  advantage  of  us  from  having  seen  the  world 
while  it  was  new.  The  manifestations  of  the  power  of  God,  like  His  mercies,  are 
"new  every  morning"  and  "fresh  every  evening."  We  see  as  fine  risings  of  the  sun 
as  Adam  ever  saw,  and  its  risings  are  as  much  a  miracle  now  as  they  were  in  his  day, 
and  I  think  a  good  deal  more,  because  it  is  now  a  part  of  the  miracle  that  for  thou- 
sands and  thousands  of  years  he  has  come  to  his  appointed  time,  without  the  varia- 
tion of  a  millionth  part  of  a  second.  Adam  could  not  tell  how  this  might  be! 

I  know  the  morning;  I  am  acquainted  with  it  and  love  it,  fresh  and  sweet  as  it  is; 
a  daily  new  creation,  breaking  forth  and  calling  all  that  have  life,  and  breath,  and 
being,  to  new  adoration,  new  enjoyments,  and  new  gratitude.  *  *  * 

Be  kind  enough  to  give  or  send  our  love  to  your  husband  and  children. 

Yours  affectionately, 

Daniel  Webster. 

CHARLOTTE  BRONTE  TO  MISS  ELLEN  NURSEY. 

July,  1845. 

My  dear  Nell:— 

I  thank  you  for  your  last  letter,  which  I  found  as  full  or  fuller  of  interest  than 
either  of  the  preceding  ones — it  is  just  written  as  I  wish  you  to  write  to  me — not  a 
detail  too  much.  A  correspondence  of  that  sort  is  the  next  best  thing  to  actual  con- 
versation, though  it  must  be  allowed  that  between  the  two  there  is  a  wide  gulf  still. 
I  imagine  your  face,  voice,  presence,  very  plainly  when  I  read  your  letters.  Still, 
imagination  is  not  reality,  and  when  I  return  them  to  their  envelope  and  put  them  bv 
in  my  desk,  I  feel  the  difference  sensibly  enough. 

My  curiosity  is  a  little  piqued  about  that  countess  you  mention.  What  is  her  name? 
You  have  not  yet  given  it.  I  cannot  decide  from  what  you  say  whether  she  is 
really  clever  or  only  eccentric.  The  two  sometimes  go  together,  but  are  often  seen 
apart.  I  generally  feel  inclined  to  fight  very  shy  of  eccentricity,  and  have  no  small 
horror  of  being  thought  eccentric  myself,  by  which  observation  I  don't  mean  to  insin- 
uate that  I  class  myself  under  the  head  clever. 

As  to  society,  I  don't  understand  much  about  it,  but  from  the  glimpses  I  have  had 
of  its  machinery,  it  seems  to  me  to  be  a  very  strange,  complicated  affair  indeed, 
wherein  nature  is  turned  upside  down.  Your  well-bred  people  appear  to  me,  figur- 
atively speaking,  to  walk  on  their  heads,  to  see  every  thing  the  wrong  way  up, — a 


LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS.  141 

lie  is  with  them  truth,  truth  a  lie,  eternal  and  tedious  botheration  is  their  notion  of 
happiness,  sensible  pursuits  their  ennui.  But  this  may  be  only  the  view  ignorance 
takes  of  what  it  cannot  understand.  I  refrain  from  judging  them,  therefore,  but  if  I 
were  called  upon  to  swop — you  know  the  word,  I  suppose — to  swop  tastes  and  ideas 

and  feelings  with ,  for  instance,  I  should  prefer  walking  into  a  good  Yorkshire 

kitchen  fire  and  concluding  the  bargain  at  once  by  an  act  of  voluntary  combustion. 
I  shall  scribble  you  a  short  note  about  nothing,  just  to  have  a  pretext  for  screwing 

a  letter  out  of  you  in  return.    I  was  sorry  you  did  not  go  to  W ,  firstly,  because 

you  lost  the  pleasure  of  observation  and  enjoyment;  and  secondly,  because  I  lost  the 
second  hand  indulgence  «f  hearing  your  account  of  what  you  had  seen.  *  *  * 

Yours, 

Charlotte  Bronte. 
FRANZ  SCHUBERT  TO  DR.  CARL. 

Written  after  a  visit  to  Frau  Pachler,  the  wife  of  Dr.  Carl,  a  lady  gifted  with  great 
musical  ability. 

June  1 2th,  1827. 

Honored  Sir: — 

I  begin  to  find  out  already  that  I  was  far  too  happy  and  comfortable  at  Gratz,  and 
that  Vienna  and  I  don't  exactly  suit  one  another.  Certainly  it  is  rather  big,  but  on 
that  account  empty  of  all  heart,  sincerity,  candor,  genuine  thoughts  and  feelings, 
rational  talk,  and  utterly  lacking  in  intellectual  achievements.  One  cannot  ascertain 
exactly  whether  people  are  clever  or  stupid,  there's  such  a  deal  of  petty,  poor  gossip 
— real  cheerfulness  one  seldom  if  ever  comes  across.  It  is  very  possible,  no  doubt, 
that  I  have  myself  to  blame,  being  so  very  slow  in  thawing.  In  Gratz  I  soon  learned 
to  appreciate  the  absence  of  all  artifice  and  conventional  ways;  had  I  stayed  longer,  I 
should,  of  course,  have  been  profoundly  penetrated  with  the  happiness  of  such  perfect 
freedom  from  all  restraint. 

Coming  to  particulars,  I  shall  never  forget  the  happy  time  passed  with  your  dear 
wife,  the  sturdy  Pachlers  and  the  little  Faust.  These  were  the  happiest  days  I  have 
passed  for  a  long  time.  In  the  hope  of  my  being  able  some  day  to  express  my  grati- 
tude in  a  fitting  manner, 

I  remain,  with  the  greatest  respect,  yours  most  obediently, 

Franz  Schubert. 

FRANZ  SCHUBERT  TO  JOSEF  HUTTENBRENNER. 

Dearest  Friend: — I  am  overjoyed  to  find  that  my  songs  please  you.  As  a  proof  of 
my  sincere  friendship,  I  send  you  another  which  I  wrote  at  midnight  for  Anselm. 
But  what  mischief!  Instead  of  the  box  of  blotting  sand,  I  seize  the  ink-bottle.  I 
hope  over  a  glass  of  punch  at  Vienna,  to  become  better  acquainted  with  you.  Vale! 

Schubert. 

LORD  MACAULAY  TO  HIS  FATHER  AT  THE  AGE  OF  THIRTEEN. 

Shelford,  Feb.  22d,  1813. 
My  Dear  Papa:— 

As  this  is  a  whole  holiday,  I  cannot  find  a  better  time  for  answering  your  letter. 
With  respect  to  my  health,  I  am  very  well,  and  tolerably  cheerful,  as  Blundell,  the 
best  and  most  clever  of  all  the  scholars,  is  very  kind,  and  talks  to  me,  and  takes  my 
part.  He  is  quite  a  friend  of  Mr.  Preston's.  The  other  boys,  especially  Lyon,  a 
Scotch  boy,  and  Wilberforce,  are  very  good-natured,  and  we  might  have  gone  on 
very  well  had  not  one ,  a  Bristol  fellow,  cor.ie  here.  He  is  unanimously  allowed  to 


142  LETTER     WRITING. 


be  a  queer  fellow,  and  is  generally  characterized  as  a  foolish  boy,  and  by  most  of  us 
as  an  ill-natured  one.  In  my  learning  I  do  Xenophon  every  day,  and  twice  a  week 
the  "Odessey,"  in  which  I  am  classed  with  Wilberforce,  whom  all  the  boys  allow  to 
be  very  clever,  very  droll,  and  very  impudent. 

We  do  Latin  verses  twice  a  week,  and  I  have  not  yet  been  laughed  at,  as  Wilber- 
force is  the  only  one  who  hears  them,  being  in  my  class.  We  are  exercised  also  once 
a  week  in  English  composition,  and  letters  of  persons  renowned  in  history  to  each 
other.  We  get  by  heart  Greek  grammar  or  Virgil  every  evening.  As  for  sermon- 
writing,  I  have  hitherto  got  off  with  credit,  and  I  hope  I  shall  keep  up  my  reputation. 
We  have  had  the  first  meeting  of  our  debating  society  the  other  day,  when  a  vote  of 
censure  was  moved  for  upon  Wilberforce;  but  he,  getting  up,  said,  "Mr.  President,  I 
beg  to  second  the  motion."  By  this  means  he  escaped. 

The  kindness  which  Mr.  Preston  shows  me  is  very  great.  He  always  assists  me  in 
what  I  cannot  do,  and  takes  me  to  walk  out  with  him  every  now  and  then.  My 
room  is  a  delightful,  sunny  little  chamber,  which  nobody  can  enter,  as  there  is  a 
trick  about  opening  the  door.  I  sit  like  a  king,  with  my  writing-desk  before  me;  for 
(would  you  believe  it?)  there  is  a  writing-desk  in  my  chest  of  drawers;  my  books  on 
one  side,  my  box  of  papers  on  the  other,  with  my  arm-chair  and  my  candle;  for  every 
boy  has  a  candlestick,  snuffers,  and  extinguisher  of  his  own.  Being  pressed  for  room, 
I  will  conclude  what  I  have  to  say  to-morrow,  and  ever  remain  your  affectionate  son, 

Thomas  B.  Macaulay. 

T.  B.  MACAULAY   TO  LORD  NAPIER. 

Charges  St.,  Feb.  26,  1839. 

Dear  Napier:— 

I  can  now  promise  you  an  article  in  a  week,  or  ten  days  at  furthest.  Of  iU 
length  I  cannot  speak  with  certainty.  I  should  think  it  would  fill  about  forty  page.;. 
but  I  find  the  subject  grow  on  me. 

I  think  that  I  shall  dispose  completely  of  Gladstone's  theory.  I  wish  that  I  could 
see  my  way  clearly  to  a  good  counter- theory;  but  I  catch  only  glimpses  here  and  there 
of  what  I  take  to  be  truth. 

I  am  leading  an  easy  life;  not  unwilling  to  engage  in  the  Parliamentary  battle  if  a 
fair  opportunity  should  offer,  but  not  in  the  smallest  degree  tormented  by  a  desire  for 
the  House  of  Commons,  and  fully  determined  against  office.  I  enjoyed  Italy 
intensely;  far  more  than  I  had  expected.  By  the  by,  I  met  Gladstone  at  Rome. 
We  walked  and  talked  together  in  St.  Peter's  during  the  best  part  of  an  afternoon. 
He  is  both  a  clever  and  an  amiable  man. 

As  to  politics,  the  cloud  has  blown  over;  the  sea  has  gone  down;  the  barometer  is 
rising.  The  session  is  proceeding  through  what  was  expected  to  be  its  most  troubled 
stage  in  the  same  quiet  way  in  which  it  generally  advances  through  the  dog-days 
toward  its  close.  Everything  and  everybody  is  languid,  and  even  Brougham  seems 
to  be  somewhat  mitigated.  I  met  him  in  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields  the  other  day,  when  I 
was  walking  with  Ellis.  He  greeted  me  as  if  we  had  breakfasted  together  that  morn, 
ing,  and  went  on  to  declaim  against  everybody  with  even  more  than  his  usual  parts, 
and  with  all  his  usual  rashness  and  flightiness. 

Ever  yours, 
T.  B.  Macaulay. 


LETTERS   AND    EXTRACTS.  143 


CHAS.  LAMB  TO  COLERIDGE 

Apr.  14,  1832. 
My  dear  Coleridge: — 

Not  an  unkind  thought  has  passed  through  my  brain  about  you.  But  I  have 
been  wofully.  neglectful  of  you,  so  that  I  do  not  deserve  to  announce  to  you  that  if  I 
do  not  hear  from  you  before  then,  I  will  set  out  on  Wednesday  morning  to  take  you 
by  the  hand.  I  would  do  it  this  moment,  but  an  unexpected  visit  might  flurry  you. 
I  shall  take  silence  for  acquiescence,  and  come.  I  am  glad  you  could  write  so  long  a 
letter. 

Old  love  to,  and  hope  of  kind  looks  from  the  Gilmans  when  I  come. 

Yours,  semper  idem, 

C.  Lamb. 


CHAS.  LAMB  TO 

My  dear  Sir:— 

If  you  can  come  next  Sunday  we  shall  be  equally  glad  to  see  you,  but  do  not 
trust  to  any  of  Martin's  appointments  in  future.  Leg  of  lamb  as  before,  at  half-past 
four,  and  the  heart  of  Lamb  forever.  Yours  truly, 

30th  March,  1821.  C.  Lamb. 

LUDWIG  BEETHOVEN  TO  WEGELER. 

June,  1801. 

*  *  *  I  feel  that  my  youth  is  only  now  beginning.  Was  I  not  always 
a  sickly  man?  But,  for  a  time,  my  physical  strength  has  been  increasing  more  than 
ever  before,  and  the  same  is  true  of  my  mental  power.  With  every  succeeding  day  I 
approach  nearer  to  the  goal  which  I  feel,  but  cannot  describe.  Thus  only  can  I  live. 
No  rest!  I  know  of  no  repose  but  sleep,  and  it  sorely  pains  me  that  I  have  now  to 
allot  more  time  to  sleep  than  was  once  necessary.  Let  me  be  only  half  freed  from 
my  trouble  and  then,  a  perfectly  mature  man,  I  shall  come  to  you  and  renew  our  old 
friendship.  You  must  see  me  as  happy  as  it  is  given  me  to  be  here  below.  You 
must  not  see  me  unhappy;  that  is  more  than  I  could  bear.  I  shall  struggle  manfully 
with  fate,  and  be  sure  it  will  not  overcome  me  entirely.  O,  how  beautiful  it  would 
be  to  live  life  over  a  thousand  times!  But  I  am  not  made  for  a  quiet  life.  *  *  * 

LUCY  AIKEN  TO  DR.  W.  E.  CHANNING. 

Hampstead,  June  7,  1830. 

Dear  Sir.— 

By  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Ware,  I  have  it  at  length  in  my  power  to  send  copies  of 
the  two  little  books  so  long  since  destined  for  your  daughter;  and  though  I  have 
written  to  you  at  large  so  lately,  I  cannot  resist  the  temptation  of  adding  a  letter.  I 
hope  it  cannot  be  very  troublesome  to  you  to  read  what  it  is  so  agreeable  to  me  to 
write. 

Your  friend  Mr.  Goodhin  spent  an  hour  with  me  one  morning,  and  I  was  much 
pleased  with  his  mild  and  amiable  manners,  and  the  information  which  he  gave  me 
respecting  many  of  your  institutions  and  societies;  I  wished  for  more  of  his  com- 
pany, and  invited  him  for  the  next  evening,  when  I  expected  Mrs.  Joanna  Baillie, 
Professor  Smyth,  and  another  valued  friend,  Mr.  Whishaw,  a  gentleman  who  has 
written  little,  but  whose  literary  opinions  are  heard  in  the  most  enlightened  circles 
with  a  deference  approaching  that  formerly  paid  to  Dr.  Johnson.  Mr.  Goodhin  was 
unfortunately  engaged,  but  he  sent  me  Mr.  Richardson,  and  the  result  was,  one  of 
the  most  animated  and  amusing  conversaziones,  chiefly  between  him  and  the  two 


144  LETTER    WRITING. 


gentlemen  I  have  named— for  we  ladies  were  well  content  to  be  listeners— at  which 
it  has  ever  been  my  good  fortune  to  be  present. 

A  more  fluent  talker  than  Mr.  Richardson  I  think  I  never  heard,  and  I  doubted  at 
first  how  he  might  suit  my  two  old  gentlemen — both  of  them  great  eulogists  of  good 
listeners;  but  he  is  very  clever,  and  there  was  something  so  piquant  in  his  remarks  on 
what  he  had  seen  here,  such  a  simplicity  in  his  questions,  and  when  he  spoke  of  his 
own  country,  such  abundant  knowledge,  so  ably  and  clearly  expressed,  that  they 
were  content  for  once  to  take  such  a  share  of  talk  as  they  could  get  by  hard  strug- 
gling. I  think  the  Professor  of  Modern  History  got  matter  for  a  new  lecture  on 
American  law  and  Politics;  and  he  and  Mr.  Richardson  took  pains  to  contrive  another 
meeting.  But  to  me  the  most  curious  part  was  Mr.  Richardson's  wonder  at  having 
got  into  such  high  company  as  two  or  three  baronets,  a  Scotch  countess  and  some 
lords;  and  his  difficulty  to  imagine,  and  ours  to  explain  to  him,  how  our  difference  of 
ranks  works  in  society.  He  evidently  supposed  a  much  wider  separation  of  classes 
than  actually  takes  place.  I  believe  the  structure  of  society  with  us  may  best  be 
expressed  by  what  an  eminent  naturalist  has  said  of  organized  nature — it  is  not  a 
chain  of  being,  it  more  resembles  a  net;  each  mesh  holds  to  several  others  on  different 
sides. 

Our  complicated  state  of  society  in  recompense  of  great  evils,  has  at  least  this 
advantage,  that  it  brings  the  rich  man  or  the  noble  into  relation  with  a  multitude  of 
individuals,  with  whom  he  finds  it  necessary  to  his  objects  to  associate  on  terms  of 
social  equality,  notwithstanding  great  disparity  of  birth  or  fortune.  Those  very  soci" 
eties  of  which  we  agree  in  condemning  the  epidemic  prevalence,  are  useful  in  our 
country  by  their  levelling  effect.  In  a  Bible  society  or  a  missionary  meeting,  the 
zealous  laborers,  and  still  more,  the  effective  speakers,  find  themselves  enabled  to 
give  the  law  to  wealth  and  title.  Scientific  and  literary  institutions  concur  to  the 
same  results,  and  so  does  the  cultivation  in  the  higher  ranks  of  letters  and  of  arts. 
There  is  no  fact,  no  talent,  no  acquirement,  either  useful  or  ornamental,  no  celebrity 
of  any  kind,  but  that  serves  its  professor  as  a  ticket  of  admission  to  the  company  of 
some  of  his  superiors.  I  imagine  that  in  no  country  there  can  be  no  less  of  undiscov- 
ered or  unrewarded  merit  than  in  ours. 

Do  you  begin  to  suspect  the  insiduous  aim  of  these  remarks?  Your  "Means  and 
Ends  of  a  National  Literature  "  lies  before  me,  and  I  am  pleading  for  some  exception 
as  respects  England  to  the  general  truth  of  your  observation,  that  in  Europe  "it  is 
for  his  blood,  his  rank  or  some  artificial  distinction,  and  not  for  the  attributes  of 
humanity  that  man  holds  himself  in  respect."  Perhaps,  however,  my  position,  that 
men  in  this  country  value  themselves,  and  are  valued  by  others,  very  much  according  to 
their  talents,  tastes,  acquirements,  and  their  power  and  will  to  serve  a  sect  or  party, 
may  not  be  irreconcilable  with  your  position  that  they  do  not  respect  themselves  suf- 
ficiently for  the  attributes— the  common  attributes  of  humanity.  Here  in  the  lower, 
that  is  the  more  numerous  class,  it  is  too  near  the  truth  that  "man's  life  is  cheap  as 
beasts."  Your  estimate  of  our  literature  I  think  very  just.  I  am  not,  however, 
without  hope  that  in  laboring,  as  you  say,  for  ourselves,  which  the  difficulties  of  our 
present  situation  render  imperative  upon  us,  some  general  truths  may  be  elicited 
which  may  be  capable  of  extended  application,  at  least  in  the  old  countries  of  Europe, 
which  continue  to  look  to  us  for  examples  of  many  kinds;  to  you  they  will  be  less 
available.  *  •**»*»* 

It  was  with  great  concern  I  heard  from  the  Wares  that  you  had  sustained  a  severe 
attack  of  illness,  though  I  learned  at  the  same  time  of  your  recovery.  Pray  take 


LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS.  145 

care  of  yourself  for  many  sakes  beside  your  own;  you  have  yet  much  to  do  for  the 
world;  and  pray  take  it  into  consideration  whether  you  ought  not  to  winter  in  a 
milder  climate,  such  as  ours. 

How  very  much  we  would  make  of  you  if  we  had  you  here.  Believe  me,  ever 
yours,  with  the  truest  regard. 

L.  Aiken. 
DR.   CHANNING  TO  MISS  AIKEN. 

Boston,  Jan.  i,  1841. 
My  dear  Miss  Aiken:— 

I  have  no  time  to  write  a  letter  in  reply  to  your  last  of  October,  but  this  was  so 
acceptable  that  I  ought  not  to  let  our  steam  packet  sail  without  some  acknowledg- 
ment of  it.  You  write  under  some  fears  of  a  war.  Let  us  be  grateful  that  the  storm 
is  blown  over,  or  rather  that  its  ravages  are  so  confined. 

I  confess  I  am  shocked  by  your  victories  in  Syria  and  your  attack  on  China.  My 
mind  continually  asks  whether  there  is  no  relief  from  these  terrible  social  evils,  and  I 
am  continually  driven  back  to  the  conviction  that  little  outward  melioration  is  to  be 
hoped  but  from  an  inward  one.  At  the  same  time,  I  see  how  outward  evils  obstruct 
the  moral  and  intellectual  advancement  in  which  their  remedy  lies.  In  the  course  of 
the  last  few  months,  I  have  been  more  struck  than  ever  with  the  terrible  power  con- 
ferred by  our  present  social  condition  on  individuals.  A  few  men  might  have  involved 
the  civilized  world  in  war — might  have  broken  up  the  intercourse  of  nations,  reduced 
millions  to  want  and  made  themselves  felt  in  every  human  habitation  over  half  the 
globe. 

I  have  asked,  Ought  a  few  statesmen  thus  to  hold  in  their  hands  the  destinies 
of  the  race?  I  ask,  too,  if  this  fearful  concentration  of  power  growing  out  of  our 
union  into  communities  ought  to  exist.  Are  any  men,  whether  a  ministry  or  legisla- 
ture, worthy  of  such  a  trust?  It  is  this  vast  dazzling  power  which  has  intoxicated, 
maddened  the  selfish  great  from  the  beginning;  and  history  is  little  more  than  an 
unravelling  of  the  complicated  schemes  and  toils  of  men  for  winning  it. 

Is  not  the  prize  too  great  to  be  set  before  men?  Ought  the  vast  energies  of  Eng- 
land to  become  a  unity  by  political  combinations  which  the  ambitious  may  turn  to 
their  vile  purposes?  Cannot  these  vast  masses  of  nations  be  broken  up  or  modified  ? 
I  merely  state  to  you  thoughts  which  have  been  rushing  through  my  mind.  I  have 
been  too  busy  in  other  ways  to  follow  them  out.  That  some  great  truth  may  come 
from  pursuing  them,  I  strongly  suspect.  The  idea  of  making  essential  changes  in 
these  colossal  accumulations  of  power  which  have  lasted  so  many  ages,  must  seem  an 
extravagance,  but  the  national  bond  is  not  what  it  once  was.  Men  of  different 
languages  are  beginning  to  understand  a  higher  bond. 

But  I  must  stop  dreaming.  Your  letter,  as  I  said,  gave  me  much  pleasure,  but  I 
was  sorry  to  read  your  severe  strictures  on  Carlyle.  Let  us  be  tolerant.  Let  us  be 
willing  that  men  should  talk  in  their  own  language,  however  uncouth, — give  us  their 
extravagances,  if  they  are  earnest,  strong-minded,  generous  men.  Carlyle  has  often 
stirred  up  my  spirit  and  opened  to  me  noble  fields  of  thought.  I  do  not  know  that 
I  owe  him  many  new  views,  but  he  has  made  some  great  ones  more  real  to  me,  and 
this  is  no  small  debt.  You  must  have  discovered  in  me  a  touch  of  that  malady  called 
mysticism,  and  will  therefore  wonder  the  less  at  my  German  leanings.  I  am,  how- 
ever, no  reader  of  German.  I  have  caught  this  from  nobody.  It  was  born  and  bred 
in  me,  and  therefore  more  hopeless.  Accept  this  hasty  expression  of  thought,  if 
thought  it  may  be  called,  as  a  testimony  to  the  pleasure  you  give  me  by  writing. 

Very  truly  your  friend, 

W.  E.  Channing. 


i46  LETTER    WRITING. 

FRANCES  BURNEY  TO  MISS  S.  BURNEY. 

Chesington,  Sunday,  July  6,  1778. 
My  dearest  Susy: — 

I  have  been  serving  Daddy  Crisp  a  pretty  trick  this  morning.  How  he  would 
rail  if  he  found  it  all  out!  I  had  a  fancy  to  dive  pretty  deeply  into  the  real  rank  in 
which  he  held  my  book;  so  I  told  him  that  your  last  letter  acquainted  me  who  was 
reported  to  be  the  author  of  "  Evelina."  I  added  that  it  was  a  profound  secret,  and 
he  must  by  no  means  mention  it  to  a  human  being.  He  bid  me  tell  him  directly, 
according  to  his  usual  style  of  command — but  I  insisted  upon  his  guessing. 

"I  can't  guess,"  said  he;  "maybe  it  is  you!"  "Oddso!"  thought  I,  "what  do 
you  mean  by  that?"  "  Pooh!  nonsense!"  cried  I,  "what  should  make  you  think  of 
me?"  "Why,  you  look  guilty,"  answered  he.  This  was  a  horrible  home  stroke. 
However,  I  found  it  was  a  mere  random  shot,  and  without  much  difficulty  I  laughed 
it  to  scorn.  And  who  do  you  think  he  guessed  next?  My  father! — There's  for  you! 
— and  several  questions  he  asked  me,  whether  he  had  lately  been  shut  up  much, 
and  so  on.  And  this  was  not  all,  for  he  afterwards  guessed  Mrs.  Thrale  and  Mrs. 
Greville. 

There's  honor  and  glory  for  you!  I  assure  you  I  grinned  prodigiously.  He  then 
would  guess  no  more.  So  I  served  him  another  trick  for  his  laziness.  I  read  a 
paragraph  in  your  last  letter  (which,  perhaps,  you  may  not  perfectly  remember),  in 
which  you  say  the  private  report  is  that  the  author  is  a  son  of  the  late  Dr.  Friend, 
my  likeness.  Now  this  son  is  a  darling  of  my  daddy's,  who  reckons  him  the  most 
sensible  and  intelligent  young  man  of  his  acquaintance;  so  I  trembled  a  few,  for  I 
thought,  ten  to  one  but  he'd  say:  "  He? — not  he — I  promise  you! "  But  no  such 
thing;  his  immediate  answer  was:  "Well,  he's  very  capable  of  that  or  anything  else." 
I  grinned  broader  than  before. 

Frances  Burney. 

RALPH    WALDO    EMERSON    TO      A    CLASSMATE     WHO    WENT    FROM    HARVARD    TO 
ANDOVER. 

Boston,  Apr.  27,  1825. 

My  dear  Lord  W : — A  tall  cousin  of  mine  (Mr.  Shepard)  hath  informed  me 

that  you  have  lately  descended  upon  them  at  Andover,  to  learn  their  good  ways — 
from  the  miserable  school  of  heterodoxy  at  Cambridge. 

Now  I  determined  forthwith  to  write  to  my  right  scholarly  classmate,  for  several 
distinct  reasons: — to  congratulate  you  upon  you  singular  exemption  from  the  general 
misery  of  your  compeers,  who  have  rushed  into  the  tutor's  desks  of  every  Minerva's 
temple  in  the  country;  then  to  claim  the  honor  of  corresponding  with  one  scholar  in 
the  land, — and  to  enjoin  it  upon  you,  as  a  primal  duty,  to  write  a  letter  from  your 
seat  of  science,  to  a  desponding  school-master.  I  am  delighted  to  hear  there  is  such 
a  profound  studying  of  German  and  Hebrew,  Parkhurst  and  Tahn,  and  such  other 
names  as  the  memory  aches  to  think  of,  on  foot  at  Andover.  Meantime  Unitarian- 
ism  will  not  hide  her  honors;  as  many  hard  names  are  taken,  and  as  much  theo- 
logical mischief  is  planned  at  Cambridge  as  at  Andover.  By  the  time  this  genera- 
tion gets  upon  the  stage,  if  the  controversy  will  not  have  ceased,  it  will  run  such  a 
tide  that  we  shall  hardly  be  able  to  speak  to  one  another,  and  there  will  be  a  Guelf 
and  Ghibeline  quarrel,  which  cannot  tell  where  the  difference  lies.  *  *  * 

I  have  a  high  respect  for  Professor  Stuart,  but  have  never  seen  him.  I  want  you 
to  write  me  a  description  of  his  mind,  body,  and  outward  estate.  The  good  people 
abroad,  who  are  Calvanists  up  to  the  chin,  do  not  treat  him  well.  He  watches  upon 


LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS.  147 

their  outposts,  and  receives  all  the  weapons  of  the  enemy,  and  those  within  the 
pale,  his  brethren  of  Connecticut,  accuse  him  of  apostasy.  They  should  know  that 
the  opposite  party  humbly  judge  that  if  they  lose  him  they  lose  all,  and  that  any 
party  can  boast  few  such  redeeming  Palladiums. 

What  are  you  studying  beside  Bibles  ?  Do  you  let  suns  and  moons,  eclipses  and 
comets  pass  without  calculation  or  account?  Is  there  not  time  for  trigonometry,  no 
not  for  a  logarithm?  Or,  if  all  these  are  forgotten,  I  hope  you  have  not  sacrificed 
Johnson  and  Burke,  Shakspeare  and  Scott,  altogether.  Books  are  not  so  numerous 
at  Andover,  but  that  you  will  want  the  Cambridge  library,  which,  by  the  way,  grows 
rich  rapidly,  and  bids  fair  to  load  its  shelves  to  the  breaking  point,  under  the  care  of 
such  an  eloquent  beggar  as  Professor  Cogswell.  He  has  already  won  away  to  the 
library  most  of  the  splendid  European  books  in  Boston,  and  obliged  Mr.  Thorndike 
to  cover  the  Ebeling  library,  which  he  presented. 

But  whatever  may  be  your  pursuits,  your  designs,  or  your  advantages,  this  is  to 
remind  you  that  I  expect  a  very  literary  letter  which  may  unfold  them  all  to  my 
admiration.  You  can  form  no  conception  how  much  one  grovelling  in  the  city 
needs  the  excitement  and  impulse  of  literary  example.  The  sight  of  broad,  vellum- 
bound  quartos,  the  very  mention  of  Greek  and  German  names,  the  glimpse  of  a 
dusty,  tugging  scholar,  will  wake  you  up  to  emulation  for  a  month. 

You  will  excuse  the  liberty  I  have  taken,  in  addressing  myself  to  you,  unasked,  to 
solicit  a  correspondence,  but  I  arn  aweary  of  myself.  * 

I  suppose  you  may  know  opportunities  to  send  to  Frye;  if  not,  prav  drop  a  letter 
into  the  post-office,  the  first  time  you  pass  by  it,  to 

Your  friend  and  classmate, 

R.  Waldo  Emerson. 

CHARLES   DICKENS   TO  W.  C.  MACREADY. 

Devonshire  Terrace,  Tuesday, 

Nov.  23d,   1847. 
My  dear  Macready: — 

I  am  in  the  whirlwind  of  finishing  a  number  with  a  crisis  in  it;  but  I  cannot  fall 
to  work  without  saying,  in  so  many  words,  that  I  feel  all  words  insufficient  to  tell 
you  what  I  think  of  you  after  a  night  like  last  night.  The  multitudes  of  new  tokens 
by  which  I  know  you  for  a  great  man,  the  swelling  within  me  of  my  love  for  you,  the 
pride  I  have  in  you,  the  majestic  reflection  I  see  in  you  of  all  the  passions  and  affec- 
tions that  make  up  our  mystery,  throw  me  into  a  strange  kind  of  transport  that  has 
no  expression  but  in  a  mute  sense  of  attachment,  which,  in  truth  and  fervency,  is 
worthy  of  its  subject. 

What  is  this  to  say?    Nothing,  God  knows,  and  yet  I  cannot  leave  it  unsaid. 

Ever  affectionately  yours, 

Charles  Dickens. 

P.  S. — I  never  saw  you  more  gallant  and  free  than  in  the  gallant  and  free  scenes 
last  night.  It  was  perfectly  captivating  to  behold  you.  However,  it  shall  not  inter- 
fere with  my  determination  to  address  you  as  Old  Parr  in  all  future  time.  , 

CHARLES  DICKENS   TO   WILKIE   COLLINS. 

Tavistock  House,  June  6,  1856. 
My  dear  Collins: — 

I  have  never  seen  anything  about  myself  in  print  which  has  much  correctness  in 
it — any  biographical  account  of  myself,  I  mean.  I  do  not  supply  such  particular? 


148  LETTER     WRITING. 


when  I  am  asked  for  them  by  editors  and  compilers,  simply  because  I  am  asked  for 
them  every  day.  If  you  want  to  prime  Forgues,  you  may  tell  him,  without  fear  Of 
anything  wrong,  that  I  was  bora  at  Portsmouth,  on  the  7th  of  February,  1812;  that 
my  father  was  in  the  Navy  Pay  Office;  that  I  was  taken  by  him  to  Chatham  when  I 
was  very  young,  and  lived  and  was  educated  there  till  I  was  twelve  or  thirteen,  I 
suppose;  that  I  was  then  put  to  a  school  near  London,  where  (as  at  other  places)  I 
distinguished  myself  like  a  brick;  that  I  was  put  in  the  office  of  a  solicitor,  a  friend 
of  my  father's,  and  didn't  much  like  it;  and  after  a  couple  of  years  (as  well  as  I  can 
remember),  applied  myself  with  a  celestial  or  diabolical  energy  to  the  study  of  such 
things  as  would  qualify  me  to  be  a  first  rate  parliamentary  reporter — at  that  time  a, 
calling  pursued  by  many  clever  men  who  were  young  at  the  Bar;  that  I  made  my 
d6but  in  the  gallery  (at  about  eighteen,  I  suppose),  engaged  on  a  voluminous  publi- 
cation no  longer  in  existence,  called  The  Mirror  of  Parliament;  that  when  Th* 
Morning  Chronicle  was  published  by  Sir  John  Easthope  and  acquired  a  large  circu- 
lation, I  was  engaged  there,  and  that  I  remained  there  until  I  had  begun  to  publish 
"  Pickwick,"  when  I  found  myself  in  a  condition  to  relinquish  that  part  of  my  labors; 
that  I  left  the  reputation  behind  me  of  being  the  best  and  most  rapid  reporter  ever 
known,  and  that  I  could  do  anything  in  that  way  under  any  sort  of  circumstances, 
and  often  did.  I  dare  say  I  am  at  this  present  writing  the  best  short-hand  writer  in 
the  world.) 

That  I  began,  without  any  interest  or  introductien  of  [any  kind,  to  write  fugitive 
pieces  for  the  old  Monthly  Magazine,  when  I  was  in  the  gallery  for  The  Mirror  of 
Parliament;  that  my  faculty  for  descriptive  writing  was  seized  upon  the  moment  I 
joined  The  Morning  Chronicle,  and  that  I  was  liberally  paid  there  and  handsomely 
acknowledged,  and  wrote  the  greater  part  of  the  short  descriptive  "Sketches  by 
Boz, "  in  that  paper;  that  I  had  been  a  writer  when  I  was  a  mere  baby,  and  always 
an  actor  from  the  same  age;  that  I  married  the  daughter  of  a  writer  to  the  Signet 
in  Edinburgh,  who  was  the  great  friend  and  assistant  of  Scott,  and  who  first  made 
Lockhart  known  to  him. 

And  that  here  I  am. 

Finally,  if  you  want  any  dates  of  publication  of  books,  tell  Wills,  and  he'll  get 
them  for  you. 

This  is  the  first  time  I  ever  set  down  even  these  particulars,  and  glancing  them 
over  I  feel  like  a  wild  beast  in  a  caravan  describing  himself  in  the  keeper's  absence. 

Ever  faithfully, 
Charles  Dickens. 

P.  S.— I  made  a  speech  last  night  at  the  London  Tavern,  at  the  end  of  which  all 
the  company  sat  holding  their  napkins  to  their  eyes  with  one  hand,  and  putting  the 
other  into  their  pockets.  A  hundred  people  or  so  contributed  nine  hundred  pounds 
then  and  there. 

CHARLES  DICKENS  TO  HIS  DAUGHTER. 

Devonshire  Terrace,  Tuesday, 

February  27th,   1849. 
My  dearest  Mamey: — 

I  am  not  engaged  on  the  evening  of  your  birthday.  But  even  if  I  had  an 
engagement  of  the  most  particular  kind,  I  should  excuse  myself  from  keeping  it,  so 
that  I  might  have  the  pleasure  of  celebrating  at  home,  and  among  my  children,  the 
day  that  gave  me  such  a  dear  and  good  daughter  as  you. 

Ever  affectionately  yours, 

Charles  Dickens. 


LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS.  149 

CHARLES   DICKENS  TO   MR.    CLARKSON   STANFIELD. 

Devonshire  Terrace,  May  25,  1849. 

My  dear  Stanfield: — 

No— no — no!  Murder,  murder!  Madness  and  misconception!  Any  one  of  the 
subjects — not  the  whole.  Oh,  blessed  star  of  early  morning,  what  do  you  think  I 
am  made  of,  that  I  should,  on  the  part  of  any  man,  prefer  such  a  pig-headed,  calf- 
eyed,  donkey-eared,  imp-hoofed  request! 

Says  my  friend  to  me,  "Will  you  ask  your  friend,  Mr.  Stanfield,  what  the  damage 
of  a  little  picture  of  that  size  would  be,  that  I  may  treat  myself  with  the  same,  if  I 
can  afford  it?"  Says  I,  "  I  will."  Says  he,  "Will  you  suggest  that  I  should  like  it 
to  be  one  of  those  subjects?"  Says  I, •" I  will."  I  am  beating  my  head  against  the 
<loor  with  grief  and  frenzy,  and  I  shall  continue  to  do  so  until  I  receive  your  answer. 

Ever  heartily  yours, 

The  Misconceived  One. 

CHARLES  DICKENS  TO  MRS.   DICKENS. 

Clifton,  Nov.  1 3th,  1851. 
My  dearest  Kate: — 

I  have  just  received  your  second  letter,  and  am  quite  delighted  to  find  that  all 
is  going  on  so  vigorously,  and  that  you  are  in  such  a  methodical,  business-like,  and 
energetic  state.  I  shall  come  home  by  the  express  on  Saturday  morning,  and  shall 
hope  to  be  at  home  between  eleven  and  twelve.  *  *  * 

I  am  tired  enough,  and  shall  be  glad  when  to-morrow  night  is  over.  We  expect  a 
very  good  house.  Forster  came  up  to  town  after  the  performance  last  night,  and 
promised  to  report  to  you  that  all  was  well. 

Jerrold  (is  in  extraordinary  force.  I  don't  think  I  ever  knew  him  so  humorous. 
And  this  is  all  my  news,  which  is  quite  enough.  I  am  continually  thinking  of  the 
house  in  the  midst  of  all  the  bustle,  but  I  trust  it  with  such  confidence  to  you  that  I 
am  quite  at  my  ease  about  it. 

With  best  love  to  Georgy  and  the  girls, 

Ever,  my  dearest  Kate,  most  affectipnately  yours, 

Charles  Dickens. 

P.  S. — Topham  has  suddenly  come  out  as  a  juggler,  and  swallows  candles,  and 
does  wonderful  things  with  the  poker  very  well  indeed,  but  with  a  bashfulness  and 
embarrassment  extraordinarily  ludicrous. 

MLLE.    RACHEL  TO  HER   MOTHER. 

St.  Petersburg,  1854. 
Dear  Mother:— 

Yesterday  for  my  benefit  I  played  Camille  and  Lisbie.  My  success,  or  rather 
triumph,  was  complete;  their  Imperial  Majesties  were  present.  Impossible  to  count 
the  bouquets  thrown  to  me;  as  for  recalls,  the  exact  number  was  seven  hundred  thou- 
sand. The  Grand  Duchess  Helene  sent  me  a  magnificent  Turkish  shawl;  ah,  Mad- 
ame Felix,  how  well  that  shawl  will  look  upon  your  shoulders!  They  want  me  to 
come  back  next  winter,  but  I  promise  nothing,  although  I  have  quite  made  up  my 
mind  never  to  return  to  the  Theatre  Francaise,  even  if  they  offered  me  a  hundred 
thousand  francs  for  six  months.  And,  yet,  I  feelj  that  it  will  be  a  severe  blow  to  me 
to  leave  the  public  to  whom  I  have  owed  so  much  for  the  last  sixteen  years! 

Elisa. 


150  LETTER  WRITING. 


RACHEL  TO   HER    ELDEST   SON. 

New  York. 

I  hope,  my  dear  Alexander,  that  while  your  little  mother  is  making  a  collection 
of  laurels  and  dollars  in  America,  you  will  do  her  honor  at  the  next  examinations. 
Think  how  happy  I  shall  be  when  I  receive  such  welcome  news.  Gabriel  is  still 
rather  too  young  for  me  to  talk  about  his  studies,  but  his  turn  will  come  in  time;  at 
least  I  hope  so. 

Your  little  mother,  who  loves  you  both  passionately, 

Rachel. 

MISS   SEDGWICK  TO   MR.    ROBERT  SEDGWICK. 

Stockbridge,  Aug.  13,   1813. 

*  I  am  satisfied,  by  long  and  delightful  experience,  that  I  can  never  love 
anybody  better  than  my  brothers.  I  have  no  expectation  of  ever  finding  their  equal 
in  worth  and  attraction,  therefore — do  not  be  alarmed;  I  am  not  on  the  verge  of  a 
vow  of  celibacy,  nor  have  I  the  slightest  intentions  of  adding  any  rash  resolutions  to 
the  ghosts  of  those  that  have  been  frightened  to  death  by  the  terrors  of  maiden  life; 
but,  therefore — I  shall  never  change  my  condition  until  I  change  my  mind.  You 
will  acknowledge,  dear  Robert,  that,  notwithstanding  the  proverbial  mutability  of  a 
woman's  inclination,  the  probability  is  in  favor  of  my  continuing  to  stamp  all  the  coin 
of  my  kindness  with  a  sister's  impress,  particularly  when  you  consider  that  every  year 
depreciates  the  coin  in  the  market  of  matrimony. 

MR.  ROBERT  SEDGWICK  TO  MISS  SEDGWICK. 

New  York,  August,  1883. 
My  very  dear  sister  Kate:— 

Your  letter  of  Wednesday  has  just  reached  me;  my  very  soul  thanks  you  for  it. 
I  can  never  be  sufficiently  grateful  to  my  Maker  for 

having  given  me  such  a  sister.  If  I  had  no  other  sin  to  answer  for  than  that  of  being 
so  unworthy  of  her  as  I  am,  it  would  be  more  than  I  could  bear,  and  yet,  when  I 
read  your  letters,  I  almost  think  I  am  what  I  should  be.  I  know  I  feel  a  strong 
aspiration  to  be  such,  and  I  am  sure  they  make  me  better  as  well  as  happier. 
Lamentable,  indeed,  would  be  the  degradation  of  any  being  who  would  not  make  any 
effort  to  merit  such  affection,  who  would  not  find  fresh  strength  and  fresh  spirit  in 
wielding  the  armor  of  virtue  from  the  consideration  of  its  value  and  from  the  fear 
of  its  forfeiture. 

MR.  THEODORE  SEDGWICK  TO  MISS  SEDGWICK. 

Albany,  June  6,  1820. 

Having  this  moment  perused  your  letter  the  third  time,  I 
could  not  help  giving  you  an  answer  to  it,  though  there  be  nothing  in  it  interrogative. 
Nor  was  it  meant  to  be  tender,  or  sentimental,  or  learned,  but,  like  all  your  letters, 
it  is  so  sweet,  so  excellent,  so  natural,  so  much  without  art,  and  yet  so  much  beyond 
art,  that,  old,  cold,  selfish,  unthankful  as  I  am,  the  tears  are  in  my  eyes,  and  I  thank 
my  God  that  I  have  such  a  sister. 

MISS  SEDGWICK  TO  ALICE  MINOT. 

Lenox,  Oct.  23,  1862. 

*  *  *  My  love  to  all,  and  when  I  write  this,  I  mean  it  from  your 
grandfather  down,  to  each  and  all,  as  is  due  from  me,  love  and  gratitude;  and  mind 
you,  kiss  my  darling  for  me.  Which  is  that?  your  father  or  mother?  Willie  or  Hal? 
Charles  or  Rob?  It  would  puzzle  me  to  tell. 

Yours,  my  very  darling, 
Catherine  M.  Sedgwick. 


LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS.  151 

HORATIO  NELSON  TO  MR.  LOCKER. 

Palermo,  Feb.  9,  1799. 
My  dear  Friend: — 

I  well  know  your  own  goodness  of  heart  will  make  all  due  allowance  for  my  pres- 
ent situation,  and  that  truly  I  have  not  the  time  or  power  to  answer  all  the  letters  I 
receive  at  the  moment.  But  you,  my  old  friend,  after  twenty-seven  years'  acquaint- 
ance, know  that  nothing  can  alter  my  attachment  and  gratitude  to  you.  I  have  been 
your  scholar.  It  is  you  who  taught  me  to  board  a  French  man-of-war  by  your  con- 
duct when  in  the  Experiment.  It  is  you  who  always  said,  "Lay  a  Frenchman  close, 
and  you  will  beat  him;"  and  my  only  merit  in  my  profession  is  being  a  good  scholar. 
Our  friendship  will  never  end  but  with  my  life;  but  you  have  always  been  too  par- 
tial to  me.  The  Vesuvian  republic  being  fixed,  I  have  now  to  look  out  for  Sicily; 
but  revolutionary  principles  are  so  prevalent  in  the  world  that  no  monarchial  govern- 
ment is  safe  or  sure  of  lasting  ten  years. 

Believe  me  ever  your  faithful  and  affectionate  friend, 

Nelson. 

WM.  WORDSWORTH  TO  HENRY  CRABB  ROBINSON. 

Rydal  Mount,  Kendal,  Apr.  26,  1829. 
My  dear  Friend:— 

Dora  holds  the  pen  for  me.  A  month  ago  the  east  wind  gave  me  an  inflammation 
in  my  left  eyelid,  which  led,  as  it  always  does,  to  great  distress  of  the  eye,  so  that  I 
have  been  unable  either  to  read  or  write,  which  privations  I  bear  patiently;  and  also 
a  third,  full  as  grievous, — a  necessary  cessation  from  the  amusement  of  composition, 
and  almost  of  thought.  Truly  were  we  grieved  to  hear  of  your  illness,  first,  from  Mr. 
Quillinan,  and,  this  morning,  from  your  own  account,  which  makes  the  case  much 
worse  than  we  had  apprehended. 

It  Would  have  been  a  great  joy  to  us  to  have  seen  you,  though  upon  a  melancholy 
occasion.  You  talk  of  the  more  than  chance  of  your  being  absent  upwards  of  two 
years.  I  am  entered  my  sixtieth  year.  Strength  must  be  failing;  and,  snapping  off, 
as  the  danger  my  dear  sister  has  just  escaped  lamentably  proves,  ought  not  to  be  long 
out  of  sight.  Were  she  to  depart,  the  phasis  of  my  moon  would  be  robbed  of  light 
to  a  degree  that  I  have  not  courage  to  think  of.  During  her  illness,  we  often  thought 
of  your  high  esteem  of  her  goodness,  and  of  your  kindness  towards  her  upon  all 
occasions.  Mrs.  Wordsworth  is  still  with  her.  Dora  is  my  housekeeper,  and  did 
she  not  hold  the  pen,  it  would  run  wild  in  her  praises. 

Sara  Coleridge,  one  of  the  loveliest  and  best  of  creatures,  is  with  me,  so  that  I  am 
an  enviable  person,  notwithstanding  our  domestic  impoverishment.  I  have  nothing  to 
say  of  books  (newspapers  having  employed  all  the  voices  I  could  command),  except 
that  the  first  volume  of  Smith's  "Nollekens  and  his  Times"  has  been  read  to  me. 
There  are  some  good  anecdotes  in  the  book;  the  one  which  made  most  impression  on 
me  was  that  of  Reynolds,  who  is  reported  to  have  taken  from  the  print  of  a  half-penny 
ballad  in  the  street  an  effect  in  one  of  his  pictures  which  pleased  him  more  than  any- 
thing he  had  produced.  If  you  were  here,  I  might  be  tempted  to  talk  with  you 
about  the  Duke's  settling  of  the  Catholic  question.  Yet  why?  for  you  are  going  to 
Rome,  the  very  center  of  light,  and  can  have  no  occasion  for  my  farthing  candle. 

Dora  joins  me  in  affectionate  regards;  she  is  a  staunch  anti-papist  in  a  -woman's 
way,  and  perceives  something  of  the  retributive  hand  of  justice  in  your  rheumatism; 
but,  nevertheless,  like  a  true  Christian,  she  prays  for  your  speedy  convalescence. 

Wm.  Wordsworth. 


152  LETTER    WRITING. 


WALTER  S.  LANDOR  TO  H.  C.  ROBINSON. 

April,  1831. 

*  It  is  now  several  days  since  I  read  the  book  you  recoiumended 
to  me,  "Mrs.  Leicester's  School;"  and  I  feel  as  if  I  owed  a  debt  in  deferring  to 
thank  you  for  many  hours  of  exquisite  delight.  Never  have  I  read  anything  in  prose 
so  many  times  over  within  so  short  a  space  of  time  as  "The  Father's  Wedding-day." 
Most  people,  I  understand,  prefer  the  first  tale — in  truth  a  very  admirable  one — but 
others  could  have  written  it.  Show  me  the  man  or  woman,  modern  or  ancient,  who 
could  have  written  this  one  sentence:  "When  I  was  dressed  in  my  new  frock,  I 
wished  poor  mamma  was  alive  to  see  how  fine  I  was  on  papa's  wedding-day;  and  I 
ran  to  my  favorite  station  at  her  bedroom  door."  How  natural,  in  a  little  girl,  is 
this  incongruity,  this  impossibility!  Richardson  would  have  given  his  "Clarissa," 
and  Rousseau  his  "Heloise,"  to  have  imagined  it.  A  fresh  source  of  the  pathetic 
bursts  out  before  us,  and  not  a  bitter  one.  If  your  Germans  can  show  us  anything 
comparable  to  what  I  have  transcribed,  I  would  almost  undergo  a  year's  gurgle  of 
their  language  for  it.  The  story  is  admirable  throughout, — incomparable,  inimitable. 

Yours,  &c., 

W.  S.  Landor. 

MISS  WORDSWORTH  TO  H.  C.  ROBINSON. 

Friday,  December  i,  1831. 

Had  a  rumor  of  your  arrival  in  England  reached  us  before  your  letter  of  yesterday's 
post,  you  would  ere  this  have  received  a  welcoming  from  me  in  the  name  of  each 
member  of  this  family;  and,  further,  would  have  been  reminded  of  your  promise  to 
come  to  Rydal  as  soon  as  possible  after  again  setting  foot  on  English  ground.  When 
Dora  heard  of  your  return,  and  of  my  intention  to  write,  she  exclaimed,  after  a 
charge  that  I  would  recall  to  your  mind  your  written  promise,  "He  must  come  and 
spend  Christmas  with  us.  I  wish  he  would."  Thus,  you  see,  notwithstanding  your 
petty  jarrings,  Dora  was  always,  and  now  is,  a  loving  friend  of  yours.  I  am  sure 
I  need  not  add,  that  if  you  can  come  at  the  time  mentioned  so  much  the  more  agree- 
able to  us  all,  for  it  is  fast  approaching;  but  that,  whenever  it  suits  you  (for  you  may 
have  Christmas  engagements  with  your  own  family)  to  travel  so  far  northward,  we 
shall  be  rejoiced  to  see  you;  and,  whatever  other  visitors  we  may  chance  to  have,  we 
shall  always  be  able  to  find  a  corner  for  you.  We  are  thankful  that  you  are  returned 
with  health  unimpaired, — I  may  say,  indeed,  amended, — for  you  were  not  perfectly 
well  when  you  left  England.  You  do  n  M:  mention  rheumatic  pains,  so  I  trust  they 
have  entirely  left  you. 

As  to  your  being  grown  older,  if  you  mean  feebler  in  mind,  my  brother  says:  "No 
such  thing;  your  judgment  has  only  attained  autumnaj  ripeness. " 

*  *  *  You  will  say  that  my  brother  looks  older.  He  is  certainly 
thinner,  and  has  lost  some  of  his  teeth;  but  his  bodily  activity  is  not  at  all  diminished, 
and  if  it  were  not  for  public  affairs,  his  spirits  would  be  as  cheerful  as  ever.  He  and 
Dora  visited  Sir  Walter  Scott  just  before  his  departure,  and  made  a  little  tour  in  the 
Western  Highlands;' and  such  was  his  leaning  to  old  pedestrian  habits,  that  he  often 
walked  from  fifteen  to  twenty  miles  in  a  day,  following  or  keeping  by  the  side  of  the 
little  carriage,  of  which  his  daughter  was  charioteer.  They  both  very  much  enjoyed 
the  tour,  and  my  brother  actually  brought  home  a  set  of  poems,  the  product  of  that 
journey. 


LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS.  153 

LADY  BYRON  TO  H.  C.  ROBINSON. 

Brighton,  Dec.  25,  1854. 

With  J.  J.  Taylor,  though  almost  a  stranger  to  him,  I  have  a  peculiar  reason  for 
sympathizing.  A  book  of  his  was  a  treasure  to  my  daughter  on  her  death-bed. 

I  must  confess  to  intolerance  of  opinion  as  to  these  two  points, — eternal  evil  hi  any 
form,  and  (involved  in  it)  eternal  suffering.  To  believe  in  these  would  take  away  my 
God,  who  is  all-loving.  With  a  God  with  whom  omnipotence  and  omniscience  were 
all,  evil  might  be  eternal, — but  why  do  I  say  to  you  what  has  been  better  said  else- 
where? 

HENRY  CRAB  ROBINSON  TO  WORDSWORTH. 

Athendeum,  nth  Dec.,  1837. 
My  dear  Friend: — 

Miss  Martineau  informs  me  that  it  being  objected  in  America  (when  the  proposal 
was  made  to  give  copywright  to  English  writers)  that  no  English  writers  had  mani- 
fested any  anxiety  on  the  subject,  a  petition  or  memorial  was  prepared  and  signed  by 
very  many  English  authors,  for  presentation  to  Congress;  that  only  three  writers  of 
note  refused  to  subscribe, — Mrs.  Shelley,  because  she  had  never  asked  a  favor  of  any 
one  and  never  would;  Lord  Brougham,  because,  first,  he  was  a  member  of  another 
legislature  (no  reason  at  all);  and,  secondly,  because  he  was  so  insignificant  a  writer, 
which  many  will  believe  to  be  more  true  than  the  speaker  himself  seriously  thinks; 
and  W.  W.,  Esq.,  whose  reason  is  not  known,  but  who  is  thought  to  have  been 
misinformed  on  the  subject.  Notwithstanding  these  three  blanks  in  the  roll  of 
English  literature,  the  petition  produced  an  unparalleled  impression  on  the  House  of 
Representatives.  A  bill  was  brought  into  the  house  and  passed  by  acclamation 
unanimously,  just  as  the  similar  measure  of  Sergeant  Talfourd  was  received  here. 

The  session  was  a  very  short  one,  and  the  measure  must  be  brought  forward  again. 
But  Miss  Martineau  is  assured  that  no  doubt  is  entertained  of  its  passing  both  Houses 
without  difficulty.  She  could  not  find  the  printed  bill  when  I  was  with  her,  but  she 
says  the  privilege  extends  a  long  time.  The  only  obligation  laid  on  English  authors 
is,  that  their  claim  must  be  made  within  six  months  of  the  publication  in  England. 

HANNAH  MORE  TO  MR.  HARFORD. 

Barley  Wood. 
My  dear  Friend: — 

I  have  been  much  entertained  with  your  picturesque  letter.  .  Scotland  is  a  country 
I  should  particularly  like  to  visit,  as  its  scenes  retain  so  much  of  their  original  charac- 
ter, and  have  not  been  spoiled  by  art  and  industry,  which,  though  very  good  things 
in  themselves,  yet  efface  the  old  ideas  that  contribute  to  the  pleasant  romance  of  life. 
I  particularly  envy  you  the  sight  of  Staffa's  cave.  Its  laird,  or,  as  he  styles  himself, 
Staffa  only,  has  visite  d  me,  and  I  remember  bis  account  of  his  little  empire  was  very 
amusing.  *  *  * 

The  heat  here  is  almost  tropical.  Not  a  blade  of  grass  left.  The  complexion  of 
my  field  is  hardly  distinguishable  from,  the  gravel  walk.  I  believe  the  farmers,  like 
Milton's  Satan,  "never  see  ine  sun  except  to  tell  him  how  they  hate  his 
beams."  *  * 

I  have  just  had  a  visit  from  a  very  old  and  interesting  friend,  Mrs. .    We 

had  not  met  for  twenty-seven  years.  We  lived  much  together  when  I  lived  in  the 
great  and  gay  world.  She  told  me  when  my  little  book  of  "Manners  of  the  Great" 
was  first  published  (anonymously),  she  was  sitting  with  the  Queen,  who  was  reading 


134  LETTER    WRITING. 


it.  When  Her  Majesty  came  to  the  passage  which  censured  the  practice  of  ladies  ia 
sending  on  Sunday  for  a  hair-dresser,  she  exclaimed,  "This,  I  am  sure,  is  Hannah 
More;  she  is  in  the  right,  and  I  will  never  send  for  one  again."  She  did  not  mean 
she  would  not  have  her  hair  dressed  on  a  Sunday,  but  she  would  not  compel  a  pool 
tradesman  to  violate  the  Sabbath,  but  rather  employ  one  of  her  own  house- 
hold. *  *  * 

With  kind  love  to  Mrs.  H ,  believe  me.  my  dear  friend, 

Yours  very  sincerely, 

H.  More. 

S.  T.  COLERIDGE  TO  JOSEPH  COTTLE. 

Stoway,  1797. 
My  dear  Cottle: — 

Wordsworth  and  his  exquisite  sister  are  with  me.  She  is  a  woman  indeed!  in 
mind,  I  mean,  and  heart;  for  her  person  is  such,  that  if  you  expected  to  see  a  pretty 
woman,  you  would  think  her  rather  ordinary;  if  you  expected  to  see  an  ordinary 
woman,  you  would  think  her  rather  pretty;  but  her  manners  are  simple,  ardem, 
impressive.  In  every  motion  her  innocent  soul  outbeams  so  brightly,  that  who  saw. 
would  say, 

"  Guilt  was  a  thing  impossible  in  her." 

Hei*  information  various.  Her  eye  watchful  in  minutest  observation  of  nature;  and 
her  taste  a  perfect  electrometer.  It  bends,  protrudes,  and  draws  in  at  subtlest  beau- 
ties and  most  recondite  faults. 

She  and  W.  desire  their  kindest  respects  to  you. 

Your  ever  affectionate  friend, 
S.  T.  Coleridge, 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  TO  DR.  JOHN  COCHRAN. 

Dear  Doctor: — 

I  have  asked  Mrs.  Cochran  and  Mrs.  Livingston  to  dine  with  me  to-morrow;  but 
am  I  not  hi  honor  bound  to  apprise  them  of  their  fare?  As  I  hate  deception,  even 
where  the  imagination  only  is  concerned,  I  will.  It  is  needless  to  premise  that  my 
table  is  large  enough  to  hold  the  ladies.  Of  this  they  had  ocular  proof  yesterday 
To  say  how  it  is  usually  covered  is  more  essential,  and  this  shall  be  the  purport  of  my 
letter.  Since  our  arrival  at  this  happy  spot,  we  have  had  a  ham,  sometimes  a  shoul- 
der of  bacon,  to  grace  the  head  of  the  table;  a  piece  of  roast  beef  adorns  the  foot,  and 
a  dish  of  beans  or  greens  almost  imperceptible  decorates  the  center.  When  the  cook 
has  a  mind  to  cut  a  figure,  which  I  presume  will  be  the  case  to-morrow,  we  have  two 
beefsteak  pies,  or  dishes  of  crabs,  in  addition,  one  on  each  side  of  the  center  dish, 
dividing  the  space,  and  reducing  the  distance  between  dish  and  dish  to  about  six  feet, 
which,  without  them,  would  be  about  twelve  feet  apart.  Of  late  he  has  had  the 
surprising  sagacity  to  discover  that  apples  will  make  pies;  and  it  is  a  question  if,  in 
the  violence  of  his  efforts,  we  do  not  get  one  of  apples  instead  of  having  both  of  beef- 
steaks. If  the  ladies  can  put  up  with  such  entertainment,  and  will  submit  to  partake 
of  it  on  plates,  once  tin,  but  now  iron  (not  become  so  by  the  labor  of  scouring),  I 
shall  be  happy  to  see  them. 

This  is  almost  the  only  instance  of  sportive  writing  in  Washington's 
correspondence. 


LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS.  155 

ELIZABETH  B.  BARRETT  TO  MR.  HORNE. 

50  Wimpole  St.,  Nov.  4th,  i8fi. 

My  head  has  ached  so  for  two  days  (not  my  temper,  I  assure  you)  that  I  thought 
it  was  beheading  itself;  and  now  that  "distracted  globe"  having  come  to  a  calm,  I 
hasten  to  answer  your  letter.  A  bomb  of  a  letter  it  is,  to  be  sure!  enough  to  give  a 
dozen  poets  a  headache  apiece.  "No  sex — no  character — no  physiognomy — no  age 
— no  Anno  Domini!" — a  very  volcano  of  a  letter. 

After  all,  dear  Mr.  Home,  your  idea  of  revenge  is  not  tragic  enough  for  a  great 
dramatist,  and  I  may  criticise  back  to  you  on  such  grounds.  But  then,  again,  I 
spare  you  on  others.  You  needn't  "try  to  recant."  I  am  not  angry — don't.even  feel 
ill-used  (that  feeling  of  melancholy  complacency);  and  beg  you  to  extend  your  dra- 
matic scepter  within  reach  of  my  subject  hands,  and  with  the  "diagram"  at  the  top 
of  it. 

When  Socrates  said  that  it  was  worse  to  suffer,  being  guilty,  than  being  innocent, 
wasn't  he  right? — and  am  I  not  like  Socrates? — in  the  sentiment,  which  I  am  right 
in — not  position,  which  I  am  wrong  in?  At  the  same  time  it  does  seem  hard — hard 
even  for  Socrates — to  drink  all  this  hemlock  without  a  speech — to  die  and  make  no 
sign.  The  general  criticism  is  too  true  a  one,  also  lately  true,  but  not  equally, 
altogether  true,  perhaps,  in  everything.  I  think,  for  instance,  that  my  Page-romaunt 
has  some  sex  and  physiognomy,  however  the  Anno  Domini  may  be  mislaid,  even  in 
her  case.  Well — but  it's  a  true  general  criticism — and  true  particularly,  besides — and 
do  send  the  diagram,  dear  Mr.  Home — and  be  sure  that  however  lightly  I  have 
spoken  I  must  always  be  gravely  grateful  to  you  for  telling  me  all  such  truths.  * 

I  wish  I  could  "transfuse"  in  my  brother  George,  who  talks  of  meeting  you  face 
to  face  this  evening  at  Mrs.  Orme's. 

Truly  yours, 
Elizabeth  B.  Barrett. 

ROBERT  BROWNING  TO  MR.  HORNE. 

Pisa,  Dec.  4th. 
Dear  Home:— 

Your  good,  kind,  loyal  letter  gave  me  all  the  pleasure  you  meant  it  should.  I 
mean  to  "answer"  it  erelong,  but  as  my  wife  wants  to  send  a  letter  by  an  inclosure 
I  am  now  getting  ready  for  this  evening,  I  could  not  help  shaking  your  hand, 
through  the  long  interval  of  Italian  air,  and  saying,  if  only  in  a  line,  that  I  know 
your  friendliness,  and  honor  your  genius  as  much  as  ever.  One  of  these  days  we 
shall  meet  again,  never  fear — and  then  you  shall  see  my  wife,  your  old  friend,  and 
hear  from  her  what  I  have  often  heard  from  her,  and  what,  perhaps,  the  note  tells 
you.  She  has  long  been  wanting  to  send  it.  She  is  getting  better  every  day, — 
stronger,  better  wonderfully,  and  beyond  all  our  hopes.  It  is  pleasant  living  here. 
Why  do  you  not  come  and  try?  This  street  we  live  in  terminates  with  the  Palace  in 
which  your  Cosmo  killed  his  son. 

Ever  yours  faithfully,  as  of  old, 
R.  Browning. 

W.  M.  THACKERAY  TO  MR.  REED. 

Neufchatel,  Switzerland,  July  21,  1853. 
My  dear  Reed:— 

Though  I  am  rather  slow  in  paying  the  tailor,  I  always  pay  him:  and  as  with  tai- 
lors, so  •vs-ith  men;  I  pay  my  debts  to  my  friends,  only  at  rather  a  long  day.  Thank 
you  for  writing  to  me  so  kindly,  you  who  have  so  much  to  do.  I  have  only  begun  to 


156  LETTER    WRITING. 


work  ten  days  since,  and  now  in  consequence  have  a  little  leisure.  Before,  since  my 
return  from  the  West,  it  was  flying  from  London  to  Paris,  and  vice  versa,  dinners 
right  and  left,  parties  every  night.  If  I  had  been  in  Philadelphia,  I  could  scarcely 
have  been  more  feasted.  Oh,  you  unhappy  Reedl  I  see  you  (after  that  little  supper 
with  McMichael)  on  Sunday,  at  your  own  table,  when  we  had  that  good  Snerry- 
Madeira,  turning  aside  from  the  wine-cup  with  your  pale  face! 

Three  weeks  of  London  were  more  than  enough  for  me,  and  I  feel  as  if  I  had  had 
enough  of  it  and  pleasure.  Then  I  remained  a  month  with  my  parents;  then  I 
brought  my  girls  on  a  little  pleasuring  tour,  and  it  has  really  been  a  pleasuring  tour. 
We  spent  ten  days  at  Baden,  when  I  set  intrepidly  to  work  again;  and  have  been 
five  days'in  Switzerland  now;  not  bent  on  going  up  mountains,  but  on  taking  things 
easily.  How  beautiful  it  is!  How  pleasant!  How  great  and  affable,  too,  the  land' 
scape  is!  It's  delightful  to  be  in  the  midst  of  such  scenes — the  ideas  get  generous 
reflections  from  them.  I  don't  mean  to  say  my  thoughts  grow  mountainous  and 
enormous  like  the  Alpine  chain  yonder;  but,  in  fine,  it  is  good  to  be  in  the  pres- 
ence of  this  noble  nature.  It  is  keeping  good  company;  keeping  away  mean 
thoughts.  *  *  * 

I  am  about  a  new  story,  but  don't  know  as  yet  if  it  will  be  any  good.  It  seems  to 
me  I  am  too  old  for  story-telling;  but  I  want  money,  and  shall  get  20,000  dollars 
for  this,  of  which  (D.  V.)  I'll  keep  fifteen.  I  wish  this  rubbish  (the  sketch)  were 
away;  I  might  put  written  rubbish  in  its  stead.  Not  that  I  have  anything  to  say, 
but  that  I  always  remember  you  and  yours,  and  honest  Mac.  and  Wharton,  and 
Lewis,  and  kind  fellows  who  have  been  kind  to  me,  and  I  hope  will  be  kind  to  me 
again. 

Goodby,  my  dear  Reed,  and  believe  me  ever  sincerely  yours, 

W.  M.  Thackeray. 
THOMAS  CARLYLE  TO  JOHN  CARLYLE. 

Edinburgh,  Dec.  21,  1821. 

I  send  many  a  thought  southward  to  you;  often  in  the  mind's  eye  you  appear  seated 
at  your  mahogany  tippet  with  the  various  accoutrements  of  a  solitary  student, 
laboring  in  secret  at  the  task  which — fear  it  not,  my  boy — will  yet  be  rewarded 
openly.  Few  such  quiet  things  in  nature  have  so  much  of  the  sublime  in  them  as  the 
spectacle  of  poor  but  honorable-minded  youth,  with  discouragement  all  around  him, 
but  never-dying  hope  within  his  heart,  forging,  as  it  were,  the  armor  with  which  he 
is  destined  to  resist  and  overcome  the  hydras  of  this  world,  and  conquer  for  himself 
.  in  due  time  a  habitation  among  the  sunny  fields  of  life.  Like  every  other  virtue  this 
effort  may  be  called  its  own  reward,  even  though  success  should  never  crown  it. 
How  poor,  how  beggar  poor  compared  with  this,  is  the  vulgar  rioting,  punch-drink- 
ing, oyster-eating  existence  often  led  by  your  borough  procurator  or  embryo  provost. 
Truly,  Jack,  you  have  chosen  the  better  part,  and  as  your  brother  I  rejoice  to  see 
you  persevere  in  it.  I  perused  with  deep  interest  and  pleasure  your  graphic  account 
of  the  style  in  which  our  father  received  the  spectacles.  It  is  a  cheap  way  of  purchas- 
ing pleasure  to  make  those  that  love  us  happy  at  so  small  an  expense. 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

T.  Carlyle. 
MRS.  CARLYLE  TO  THOMAS  CARLYLE. 

Comely  Bank,  April,  1827. 
Dear,  Dear, — Cheap,  Cheap: — 

I  met  the  postman  yesterday  morning,  and  something  bade  me  ask  if  there  were 
any  letters.  Imagine  my  agitation  when  he  gave  me  yours  four-and-twenty  hours 


LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS.  157 

before  the  appointed  time.  I  was  so  glad  and  so  frightened,  so  eager  to  know  the 
whole  contents  that  I  could  hardly  make  out  any  part.  In  the  little  tobacconist's, 
where  I  was  fain  to  seek  a  quiet  place,  I  did  at  length,  with  much  heart-beating,  get 
through  the  precious  paper,  and  found  that  you  still  love  me  pretty  well,  and  that  the 
"Craig  o'Putta"  was  still  a  hope;  as  also  that  if  you  come  not  back  to  poor  Goody  on 
Saturday  it  will  not  be  for  want  of  will.  Ah!  nor  yet  will  it  be  for  want  of  the  most 
fervent  prayers  to  Heaven  that  a  longing  Goody  can  put  up;  for  I  am  sick — sick  to 
the  heart — of  this  absence,  which  indeed  I  can  only  bear  in  the  faith  of  its  being 
brief.  *  *  * 

I  have  not  been  altogether  idle  since  we  parted,  though  I  threatened  I  would  take 
to  bed.  I  have  finished  my  review,  the  representation  of  female  character  in  the 
Greek  poets,  and  the  comparison  between  Caesar  and  Alexander,  with  all  that  I 
could  understand  of  the  "friend;"  over  and  above  which  I  have  transacted  a  good 
deal  of  shaping  and  sewing,  the  result  of  which  will  be  complete,  I  hope,  by  the  day 
of  your  return,  and  fill  you  with  "weender  and  amazement."  Gilbert  Burns  is  gone. 
Mr.  Brodie  told  us  of  his  death  last  week.  Besides  him,  Mrs.  Binnie,  the  Bruce 
people,  and  Mrs.  Aitken,  we  have  had  no  visitors,  and  I  have  paid  no  visits.  Last 
night  I  was  engaged  to  Mrs.  Bruce,  but  I  wrapped  a  piece  of  flannel  about  my 
throat  and  made  my  mother  carry  an  apology  of  cold.  But  I  may  cut  short  these 
insipidities.  My  kindest  love  to  all,  from  the  weest  up  to  Lord  Moon. 

LADY  MARY  WORTLEY  MONTAGU  TO  THE  COUNTESS  OF  MAR. 

Oct.  31,  1723. 

I  write  to  you  at  this  time  piping  hot  from  the  birthnight;  my  brain  warmed  with 
all  the  agreeable  ideas  that  fine  clothes,  fine  gentlemen,  brisk  tunes,  and  lively 
dances  can  raise  there.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  my  letter  will  entertain  you;  at  least 
you  will  certainly  have  the  freshest  account  of  all  passages  on  that  glorious  day. 
First,  you  must  know  that  I  led  up  the  ball,  which  you'll  stare  at;  but  what  is  more, 
I  believe  in  my  conscience  I  made  one  of  the  best  figures  there;  to  say  truth,  people 
are  grown  so  extravagantly  ugly,  that  we  old  beauties  are  forced  to  come  out  on  show- 
days,  to  keep  the  court  in  countenance.  I  saw  Mrs.  Murray  there,  through  whose 
hands  this  epistle  will  be  conveyed;  I  do  not  know  whether  she  will  make  the  same 
complaint  to  you  that  I  do.  Mrs.  West  was  with  her,  who  is  a  great  prude,  having 
but  two  lovers  at  a  time;  I  think  those  are  Lord  Haddington  and  Mr.  Lindsay;  the 
one  for  use,  the  other  for  show. 

The  world  improves  in  one  virtue  to  a  violent  degree,  I  mean  plain-dealing. 
Hypocrisy  being,  as  the  Scripture  declares,  a  damnable  sin,  I  hope  our  publicans 
and  sinners  will  be  saved  by  the  open  profession  of  the  contrary  virtue.  I  was  told 
by  a  very  good  author,  who  is  deep  in  the  secret,  that  at  this  very  minute  there  is  a 
bill  cooking  up  at  a  hunting  seat  in  Norfolk,  to  have  NOT  taken  out  of  the  command- 
ments and  clapped  into  the  creed,  the  ensuing  session  of  Parliament.  This  bold 
attempt  for  the  liberty  of  the  subject  is  wholly  projected  by  Mr.  Walpole,  who  pro- 
posed it  to  the  secret  committee  in  his  parlor.  William  Young  seconded  it,  and 
answered  for  all  his  acquaintance  voting  right  to  a  man.  Doddington  very  gravely 
objected,  that  the  obstinacy  of  human  nature  was  such  that  he  feared  when  they  had 
positive  commands  to  do  so,  perhaps  people  would  not  bear  false  witness  against 
their  neighbors  with  the  readiness  and  cheerfulness  they  do  at  present. 

This  great  objection  seemed  to  sink  deep  into  the  minds  of  the  greatest  politicians 
at  the  board,  and  I  don't  know  whether  the .  bill  won't  be  dropped,  though  it  is  cer- 
tain it  might  be  carried  on  with  great  ease,  the  world  being  entirely  "revenue  du 


158  LETTER     WRITING. 

bagatelle"  and  honor,  virtue,  reputation,  etc.,  which  we  used  to  hear  of  in  our 
nursery,  as  much  laid  aside  and  forgotten  as  crumpled  ribands. 

To  speak  plainly,  I  am  very  sorry  for  the  forlorn  state  of  matrimony,  which  is  as 
much  ridiculed  by  our  young  ladies  as  it  used  to  be  by  young  fellows.  *  *  * 

You  may  imagine  we  married  women  look  very  silly;  we  have  nothing  to  excuse 
ourselves,  but  that  it  was  done  a  great  while  ago,  and  we  were  very  young  when  we 
did  it.  This  is  the  general  state  of  affairs;  as  to  particulars,  if  you  have  any  curiosity 
for  things  of  that  kind,  you  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  ask  me  questions,  and  they 
shall  be  answered  to  the  best  of  my  understanding,  my  time  never  being  passed  more 
agreeably  than  when  I  am  doing  something  obliging  to  you;  this  is  truth,  in  spite  of 
all  the  beaus,  wits,  and  witlings  in  Great  Britain.  M.  W.  M. 

MADAME  DE  SEVIGNE  TO  MADAME  DE  C. 

Paris,  Monday,  Dec.  15,  1670. 

I  am  going  to  tell  you  a  thing  the  most  astonishing,  the  most  surprising,  the  most 
marvelous,  the  most  miraculous,  the  most  magnificent,  the  most  confounding,  the 
most  unheard  of,  the  most  singular,  the  most  extraordinary,  the  most  incredible,  the 
most  unforeseen,  the  greatest,  the  least,  the  rarest,  the  most  common,  the  most 
public,  the  most  private  till  to-day,  the  most  brilliant,  the  most  enviable;  in  short,  a 
thing  of  which  there  is  but  one  example  in  past  ages,  and  that  not  an  exact  one 
either;  a  thing  that  we  cannot  believe  at  Paris — how  then  will  it  gain  credit  at  Lyons? 
a  thing  which  makes  everybody  cry,  "Lord,  have  mercy  upon  us!"  a  thing  which 
causes  the  greatest  joy  to  Madame  De  Rohan  and  M  adame  De  Hauterive ;  a  thing,  in 
fine,  which  is  to  happen  on  Sunday  next,  when  those  who  are  present  will  doubt  the 
evidence  of  their  senses;  a  thing  which,  though  it  is  to  be  done  on  Sunday,  yet  per- 
haps will  not  be  finished  on  Monday.  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  tell  it  you;  guess 
what  it  is.  I  give  you  three  times  to  do  it  in.  What,  not  a  word  to  throw  at  a  dog? 
Well,  then,  I  find  I  must  tell  you. 

WILLIAM  H.  PRESCOTT  TO  MISS  PRESCOTT. 

London,  June  24,  1850. 
My  dear  Lizzie: — 

As  your  mother  tells  me  that  you  are  to  write  to  me  this  week,  I  will  do  the  same 
good  turn  to  you.  What  shall  I  tell  you  about  ?  there  are  so  many  things  that  would 
interest  you  in  this  wonderful  city.  But  first  of  all,  I  think,  on  reflection,  you  judged 
wisely  in  not  coming.  You  would  have  had  some  lonely  hours,  and  have  been  often 
rather  awkwardly  situated.  Girls  of  your  age  make  no  great  figure  here  in  society.  One 
never,  or  very  rarely,  meets  them  at  dinner  parties,  and  they  are  not  so  numerous  in 
the  evening  parties  as  with  us,  unless  it  be  the  balls.  Six  out  of  seven  women  whom 
you  meet  in  society  are  over  thirty,  and  many  of  them  over  forty  and  fifty,  not  to  say 
sixty.  The  older  they  are  the  more  they  are  dressed  and  diamonded.  Young  girls 
dress  little,  and  wear  very  little  ornament  indeed.  They  have  not  much  money  to 
spend  on  such  costly  luxuries. 

Coming  home,  we  drove  through  the  Royal  Park  at  Windsor,  among  trees  hun- 
dreds of  years  old,  under  which  troops  of  deer  were  lazily  grazing,  secure  from  all 
molestation.  The  Thames  is  covered  with  swans,  which  nobody  would  dare  to 
injure.  How  beautiful  all  this  is!  I  wish,  dear  Lizzie,  you  could  have  a  peep  at  the 
English  country,  with  its  superb,  wide-stretching  lawns,  its  numerous  flocks  of  sheep 
everywhere  dotting  the  fields,  and  even  the  parks  in  town,  and  the  beautiful  white 
cows,  all  as  clean  as  if  they  had  been  scrubbed  down.  England,  in  the  country,  is 


LE  TTERS  AND  EXTRA  CTS.  159 

without  a  rival.  But  in  town  the  houses  are  all  dingy,  and  most  of  them  as  black  as 
a  chimney  with  the  smoke.  This  hangs  like  a  funeral  pall  over  the  city,  penetrating 
the  houses  and  discoloring  the  curtains  and  furniture  in  a  very  short  time.  You 
would  be  amused  with  the  gay  scene  which  the  streets  in  this  part  of  the  town 
present.  Splendid  equipages  fill  the  great  streets  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  blazing 
with  rich  colors,  and  silver  mountings,  and  gaudy  liveries. 

Everything  here  tells  of  a  proud  and  luxurious  aristocracy.  1  shall  see  enough  of 
them  to-day,  as  I  have  engagements  of  one  kind  or  another  to  four  houses  before 
bedtime,  which  is  now  with  me  very  regularly  about  twelve,  sometimes  later,  but  I 
<lo  not  like  to  have  it  later.  Why  have  I  no  letter  on  my  table  from  home?  I  trust 
I  shall  find  one  there  this  evening,  or  I  shall,  after  all,  have  a  heavy  heart,  which  is 
far  from  gay  in  this  gayety. 

Your  affectionate  father, 
William  H.  Prescott. 

ALEXANDER  POPE  TO  DR.  SWIFT. 

Dawley,  June  28,  1728. 

I  now  hold  the  pen  for  my  Lord  Bolingbroke,  who  is  reading  your  letter  between 
two  haycocks;  but  his  attention  is  somewhat  diverted  by  casting  his  eyes  on  the 
clouds,  not  in  admiration  of  what  you  say,  but  for  fear  of  a  shower.  He  is  pleased 
with  your  placing  him  in  the  triumvirate,  between  yourself  and  me;  though  he  says 
that  he  doubts  he  shall  fare  like  Lepidus,  while  one  of  us  runs  away  with  all  the 
power  like  Augustus,  and  another  with  all  the  pleasure  like  Anthony.  It  is  upon  a 
foresight  of  this  that  he  has  fitted  up  his  farm,  and  you  will  agree  that  this  scheme 
of  retreat  at  least  is  not  founded  upon  weak  appearances.  Upon  his  return  from  the 
bath,  all  peccant  humors,  he  finds,  are  purged  out  of  him ;  and  his  great  temperance 
and  economy  are  so  signal  that  the  first  is  fit  for  my  constitution,  and  the  latter  would 
enable  you  to  lay  up  so  much  money  as  to  buy  a  bishopric  in  England.  As  to  the 
return  of  his  health  and  vigor,  were  you  here,  you  might  inquire  of  his  haymakers; 
but  as  to  his  temperance,  I  can  answer  that  (for  one  whole  day)  we  have  had  nothing 
for  dinner  but  mutton  broth,  beans  and  bacon,  and  a  barn-door  fowl. 

Adieu.  I  am  pretty  well,  my  mother  not  ill,  Dr.  Arbuthnot  vexed  with  his  fever 
by  intervals;  I  am  afraid  he  declines,  and  we  shall  lose  a  worthy  man;  I  am  troubled 
about  him  very  much. 

Am,  etc., 

Alexander  Pope. 

REV.  SYDNEY  SMITH  TO  MRS.  . 

July,  1836. 

Dear  Mrs.  :— 

I  shall  have  great  pleasure  in  calling  for  you  to  go  to  Mrs.  Charles  Buller,  on 
Wednesday.  Mrs.  Sydney's  arm  is  rather  better,  many  thanks  for  the  inquiry.  Very 
high  and  very  low  temperature  extinguishes  all  human  sympathy  and  relations.  It  is 
impossible  to  feel  affection  beyond  78°  or  below  20°  of  Farenheit;  human  nature  i* 
too  solid  or  too  liquid  beyond  these  limits.  Man  only  lives  to  shiver  or  to  perspire. 
God  send  that  the  glass  may  fall  and  restore  me  to  my  regard  for  you,  which  in  the 
temperate  zone  is  invariable. 

Sydney  Smith. 


160  LETTER    WRITING. 

SYDNEY  SMITH  TO  CHARLES  DICKENS. 

May  14,  1842. 
My  dear  Dickens:— 

I  accept  youi  obliging  invitation  conditionally.  If  I  am  invited  by  any  man  of 
greater  genius  than  yourself,  or  one  by  whose  works  I  have  been  more  completely 
interested,  I  will  repudiate  you,  and  dine  with  the  more  splendid  phenomenon  of  the 
two. 

Ever  yours  sincerely, 

Sydney  Smith. 

DR.  JOHNSON  TO  MRS.  PIOZZI. 

London,  July  8,  1784. 
Dear  Madam:— 

What  you  have  done,  however  I  may  lament  it,  I  have  no  pretense  to  resent  it,  as 
it  has  not  been  injurious  to  me;  I  therefore  breathe  out  one  sigh  more  of  tenderness, 
perhaps  useless,  but  at  least  sincere. 

I  wish  that  God  may  grant  you  every  blessing,  that  you  may  be  happy  in  this 
world  for  its  short  continuance,  and  eternally  happy  in  a  better  state;  and  whatever  I 
can  contribute  to  your  happiness  I  am  very  ready  to  repay,  for  that  kindness  that 
soothed  twenty  years  of  a  life  radically  wretched.  *  *  *  I  am  going 
into  Derbyshire,  and  hope  to  be  followed  by  your  good  wishes,  for  I  am,  with  great 
affection, 

Yours,  etc., 

Sam  Johnson. 
LORD  CHESTERFIELD  TO  DOCTOR  MONSEY. 

Bath,  Nov.  26,  1766. 

Pray,  dear  doctor,  why  must  I  not  write  to  you?  Do  you  gentlemen  of  the  faculty 
pretend  to  monopolize  writing  in  your  prescriptions  or  proscriptions?  I  will  write 
and  thank  you  for  your  kind  letters;  and  my  writing  shall  do  no  hurt  to  any  person 
living  or  dying;  let  the  faculty  say  as  much  of  theirs  if  they  can.  I  am  very  sorry  to 
find  that  you  have  not  been  vastly  well  of  late;  but  it  is  vastly  to  the  honor  of  your 
skill  to  have  encountered  and  subdued  almost  all  the  ills  of  Pandora's  box.  As  you 
are  now  got  to  the  bottom  of  it,  I  trust  that  you  have  found  hope — which  is  what  we 
all  live  upon,  much  more  than  upon  enjoyment,  and  without  which  we  should  be. 
from  our  boasted  reason,  the  most  miserable  animals  of  the  creation.  I  do  not  think 
that  a  physician  should  be  admitted  into  the  college  till  he  could  bring  proofs  of  his 
having  cured,  in  his  own  person,  at  least  four  incurable  distempers.  In  the  old  days 
of  laudable  and  rational  chivalry,  a  knight  could  not  even  present  himself  to  the 
adorable  object  of  his  affections  till  he  had  been  unhorsed,  knocked  down,  and  had 
two  or  three  spears  or  lances  in  his  body!  but  indeed  he  must  be  conqueror  at  last,  as 
you  have  been.  *  *  *  And  so  good-night,  dear  doctor. 

Chesterfield. 

ROBERT  BURNS  TO  MRS.  DUNLOP. 

Ellisland,  June  13,  1788. 

*        *        *        Your  surmise,   madam,   is  just.     I   am,  indeed,  a  husband, 
*        *        *       To  jealousy  and  infidelity  I  am  an  equal  stranger.     My  preserva- 
tion from  the  first  is  the  most  thorough  consciousness  of  her  sentiments  of  honor,  and 
of  her  attachment  to  me;  my  antidote  against  the  last  is  my  long  and  deep-rooted 
affection  for  her. 

In  housewife  matters,  of  aptnrss  to  learn,  and  activity  to  execute,  she  is  eminently 


LETTERS   AND    EXTRACTS.  161 

mistress;  and  during  my  absence  in  Nithsdale,  she  is  regularly  and  constantly  appren- 
tice to  my  mother  and  sisters  in  their  dairy  and  other  rural  business. 

The  muses  must  not  be  offended  when  I  tell  them  the  concerns  of  my  wife  and 
family  will,  in  my  m;nd,  always  take  the  pas;  but  I  assure  them  their  ladyships  will 
ever  come  next  in  place.  *  * 

The  most  placid  good  nature,  and  sweetness  of  disposition;  a  warm  heart,  gratefully 
devoted  with  all  its  powers  to  love  me;  vigorous  health,  and  sprightly  cheerfulness, 
set  off  to  the  best  advantage  by  a  more  than  commonly  handsome  figure;  these,  I 
think,  in  a  woman,  may  make  a  good  wife,  though  she  should  have  never  read  a 
page  but  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  nor  have  danced  in  a 
brighter  assembly  than  a  penny-pay  wedding. 

Robert  Bums. 

LADY  BLESSINGTON  TO   WALTER  SAVAGE  LANDOR. 

Gore  House,  Kensington  Gore,  Mar.  10,  1836. 

*  *        *        If  we  -were  only  half  as  lenient  to  the  living  as  we  are  to  the 
dead,  how  much  happiness  might  we  render  them,  and  from  how  imich  vain  and  bitter 
remorse  might  we  be  spared,  when  the  grave,  the.  all-atoning  grave,  has  closed  over 
them.     I  long  to  read  your  book;  it  will  be  to  me  like  water  in  the  desert  to  the 
parched  pilgrim.     Let  me  hear  from  you,  and,  above  all,  tell  me  that  you  will  take 
up  your  abode  with  me,  where  quiet  and  friendship  await  you. 

M.  Blessington. 

ROBERT  SOUTHEY  TO  GROSVENOR  C.  BEDFORD. 

Jan.  21,  1799. 

My  dear  Grosvenor: — 

You  ask  me  why  the  devil  rides  on  horseback.  The  Prince  of  Darkness  is  a  gen- 
tleman, and  that  would  be  reason  enough;  but,  moreover,  the  history  doth  aver  that 
he  came  on  horseback  for  the  old  woman,  and  rode  before  her,  and  that  the  color  of 
the  horse  was  black.  Should  I  falsify  the  history,  and  make  Apollyon  a  pedestrian? 
Besides,  Grosvenor,  Apollyon  is  cloven-footed;  and  I  humbly  conceive  that  a  biped — 
and  I  never  understood  his  dark  majesty  to  be  otherwise — that  a  biped,  I  say,  would 
walk  clumsily  upon  cloven  feet.  Neither  hath  Apollyon  wings,  according  to  the 
best  representations;  and,  indeed,  how  should  he?  For,  were  they  of  feathers,  like 
the  angels',  they  would  be  burned  in  the  everlasting  fire;  and  were  they  of  leather, 
like  a  bat's,  they  would  be  shrivelled.  I  conclude,  therefore,  that  wings  he  hath  not. 
Yet  do  we  find,  from  sundry  reputable  authors  and  divers  histories,  that  he  trans- 
porteth  himself  from  place  to  place  with  exceeding  rapidity.  Now,  as  he  cannot 
walk  fast  or  fly,  he  must  have  some  conveyance.  Stage-coaches  to  the  infernal 
regions  there  are  none,  though  the  road  be  much  frequented.  Balloons  would  burst 
at  setting  out,  the  air  would  be  so  rarified  with  the  heat.  But  horses  he  may  have  of 
a  particular  breed.  I  am  learned  in  Daemonology,  and  could  say  more,  but  this 
sufficeth.  *  *  God  bless  you. 

Yours  affectionately, 

R.  Southey. 

WASHINGTON  IRVING  TO  MRS.  PARIS. 

Madrid,  1845. 

*  *        *        My  evening  drives,  though  lonely,  are  pleasant.     You  can  have 
no  idea  of  the  neighborhood  of  Madrid  from  that  of  other  cities.     The  moment  you 
emerge  from  the  gates  you  enter  upon  a  desert;  vast  wastes  as  far  as  the  eye  can 


162  LETTER    WRITING. 


reach  of  undulating  and  in  part  hilly  country,  without  trees  or  habitations,  green  in 
the  early  part  of  the  year,  and  cultivated  with  grain,  but  burnt  by  the  summer  sun 
into  a  variety  of  browns,  some  of  them  rich,  though  sombre.  A  long  picturesque  line 
of  mountains  closes  the  landscape  to  the  west  and  north,  on  the  summits  of  some  of 
which  the  snow  lingers  even  in  midsummer.  The  road  I  generally  take,  though  a 
main  road,  is  very  solitary.  Now.  and  then  I  meet  a  group  of  travelers  on  horseback, 
roughly  clad,  with  muskets  slung  behind  their  saddles,  and  looking  very  much  like 
the  robbers  they  are  armed  against;  or  a  line  of  muleteers  from  the  distant  provinces, 
with  their  mules  hung  with  bells,  and  tricked  out  with  worsted  bobs  and  tassels;  or  a 
goatherd  driving  his  flock  of  goats  home  to  the  city  for  the  night,  to  furnish  milk  for 
the  inhabitants.  Every  group  seems  to  accord  with  the  wild,  half-savage  scenery 
around;  and  it  is  difficult  to  realize  that  such  scenery  and  such  groups  should  be  in 
the  midst  of  a  populous  and  ancient  capital.  Some  of  the  sunsets  behind  the  Guad- 
arrama  Mountains,  shedding  the  last  golden  rays  over  this  vast,  melancholy  landscape, 
are  really  magnificent.  I  have  had  much  pleasure  in  walking  on  the  Prado  on  bright 
moonlight  nights.  This  is  a  noble  walk  within  the  walls  of  the  city,  and  not  far  from 
my  dwelling.  It  has  alleys  of  stately  trees,  and  is  ornamented  with  five  fountains,  dec- 
orated with  statuary  and  sculpture.  The  Prado  is  the  great  promenade  of  the  city. 
One  grand  alley  is  called  the  saloon,  and  is  particularly  crowded.  In  the  summer  even- 
ing there  are  groups  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  seated  in  chairs  and  holding  their  tertulias 
or  gossiping  parties  until  a  late  hour.  But  what  most  delights  me  are  the  groups  of 
children,  attended  by  their  parents  or  nurses,  who  gather  about  the  fountains,  take 
hands,  and  dance  in  rings  to  their  own  nursery  songs.  They  are  just  the  little  beings 
for  such  a  fairy  moonlight  scene.  I  have  watched  them  night  after  night,  and  only 
wished  I  had  some  of  my  own  little  nieces  or  grandnieces  to  take  part  in  the  fairy 
ring.  These  are  all  the  scenes  and  incidents  I  can  furnish  you  from  my  present 
solitary  life.  *  *  * 

THOMAS  CAMPBELL  TO  ARCHIBALD  CONSTABLE. 

November  3,  1802. 
Dear  Sir: — 

"The  rain  it  rains  in  Mirrylandtown,"  as  an  old  songster  says,  and  having  caught 
a  severe  cold,  I  dare  not  expose  myself  to-day  to  bide  the  pelting  of  this  pitiless 
storm — like  old  Lear — but  propose  to  spend  the  day  at  home  in  fasting,  meditation, 
and  prayer.  I  trust  that  two  refusals  of  a  good  dinner  will  not  eject  me  from  your 
dining  table  to  all  eternity,  for  I  live  in  hopes  of  another  invitation,  when  I  shall  be 
able  to  venture  abroad.  With  great  sincerity,  I  am,  etc., 

Thomas  Campbell. 

WILLIAM  GODWIN  TO  ARCHIBALD  CONSTABLE. 

October  7,  1816. 
My  dear  Sir: — 

I  most  willingly  subscribe  to  your  alteration  in  the  title  of  my  novel,  to  be  made  in 
your  announcing  it  in  the  Review. 

My  object  in  adding  the  two  words  you  object  to  (in  England)  was  to  give  a  more 
clear  idea  of  the  plan  of  the  work.  My  second  book  of  this  sort  was  entitled  "St. 
Leon,  a  Tale  of  the  Sixteenth  Century."  The  subject  of  the  book  was  the  ideas 
entertained  by  the  alchemists,  and  the  scene  was  variously  in  different  parts  of  the 
continent. 

The  scene  of  my  present  novel  is  at  home,  and  the  subject  relates  to  the  manners 


LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS.  163 

of  the  English  nation  in  the  seventeenth  century.  So  much  intelligence  I  intended  to 
convey  by  the  title  I  sent  you;  but  I  am  aware  that  sense  must  sometimes  be  sacrificed 
to  graceful  phraseology. 

I  am  deep  in  the  fury  of  composition 

Ever  faithfully  yours, 
W.  Godwin, 

SIR  WALTER  SCOTT  TO  R.   P.   GILLIES. 

Edinburgh,  1813. 
My  dear  Sir:— 

I  am  very  sorry  it  will  not  be  in  my  power  to  wait  upon  you  again  at  kale-time,  till 
I  return  from  Abbotsford,  my  time  being  already  occupied  by  far  too  much  of  en- 
gagements abroad,  and  too  much  to  do  at  home.  When  I  return,  I  shall  be  happy 
to  meet  Sir  Brooke  in  Heriot  Row. 

Pray  don't  talk  of  yourself  in  the  way  you  do.  Your  health,  it  is  true,  is  not  such 
as  I  sincerely  wish  it  to  be,  but  then  you  have  many  means  of  alleviating  the  tedium 
of  indisposition,  both  by  your  pleasure  in  perusing  the  works  of  others,  and  your  own 

"Skill  to  soothe  the  lagging  hour. 
With  no  inglorious  song." 

You  must  not,  therefore,  allow  yourself  to  be  depressed  by  your  complaints,  but  seek 
amusements  in  those  harmless  and  elegant  pursuits  which  will  best  divert  your  mind 
from  dwelling  upon  them.  I  am  sensible  that  it  is  more  easy  to  recommend  than  to 
practice  that  command  of  spirit  which  abstracts  us  from  the  immediate  source  of  pain 
or  languor.  But  it  is  no  less  necessary  that  this  exertion  should  be  made,  and  really 
in  this  world  the  lots  of  men  are  so  variously  assigned  to  them  that  each  may  find  in 
his  own  case  circumstances  of  pleasure  as  well  as  points  of  pain  unknown  to  others. 
Excuse  the  freedom  I  use,  and  believe  me,  with  every  kind  wish,  very  much  yours, 

WALTER  SCOTT. 

JOHN  ADAMS  TO  HIS  WIFE,  THE  DAY  AFTER  HIS  INAUGURATION  AS  PRESIDENT. 

Philadelphia,  Mar.  5,  1797. 
My  dearest  Friend: — 

Your  dearest  friend  never  had  a  more  trying  day  than  yesterday.  A  solemn  scene 
it  was,  indeed;  and  it  was  made  more  affecting  to  me  by  the  presence  of  the  General 
(Washington),  whose  countenance  was  as  serene  and  unclouded  as  the  day.  He 
seemed  to  me  to  enjoy  a  triumph  over  me.  Methought  I  heard  him  say,  "Ay!  I  am 
fairly  out,  and  you  fairly  hi!  See  which  of  us  will  be  happiest."  When  the  cere- 
mony was  over,  he  came  and  made  me  a  visit,  and  cordially  congratulated  me,  and 
wished  my  administration  might  be  happy,  successful,  and  honorable. 

It  is  now  settled  that  I  am  to  go  into  his  house.  It  is  whispered  that  he  intends  to 
take  French  leave  to-morrow.  I  shall  write  you  as  fast  as  we  proceed.  My  chariot 
is  finished,  and  I  made  my  first  appearance  in  it  yesterday.  It  is  simple,  but  elegant 
enough.  My  horses  are  young,  but  clever. 

In  the  chamber  of  the  House  of  Representatives  was  a  multitude  as  great  as  the 
space  could  contain,  and  I  believe  scarcely  a  dry  eye  but  Washington's.  The  sight 
of  the  sun  setting  full-orbed,  and  another  rising,  though  less  splendid,  was  a  novelty. 
Chief-Justice  Ellsworth  administered  the  oath,  and  with  great  energy.  Judges  Gush- 
ing, Wilson,  and  Iredell  were  present;  many  ladies.  I  had  not  slept  well  the  night 
before,  and  did  not  sleep  well  the  night  after.  I  was  unwell,  and  did  not  know 
whether  I  should  go  through  or  not.  I  did,  however.  How  the  business  was  re- 
ceived, I  know  not;  only  I  have  been  told  that  Mason,  the  treaty  publisher,  said  we 


164  LETTER  WRITING. 


should  lose  nothing  by  the  change,  for  he  never  heard  such  a  speech  in  public  in  his 
life. 

All  agree  that,  taken  altogether,  it  was  the  sublimest  thing  ever  exhibited  in 
America. 

I  am,  my  dearest  friend,  most  affectionately  and  kindly  yours, 

John  Adams. 

THOMAS  JEFFERSON  TO  JOHN  ADAMS,   ON  THE  DEATH  OF  MRS.    ADAMS. 

Monticello,  Nov.   13,  1818. 

The  public  papers,  my  dear  friend,  announce  the  fatal  event  of  which  your  letter  of 
October  2Oth  had  given  me  ominous  forebodings.  Tried  myself  in  the  school  of 
affliction,  by  the  loss  of  every  form  of  connection  which  can  rive  the  human  heart,  I 
know  full  well  and  feel  what  you  have  lost,  what  you  have  suffered,  are  suffering,  and 
have  yet  to  endure.  The  same  trials  have  taught  me  that  for  ills  so  immeasurable 
time  and  silence  are  the  only  medicine.  I  will  not,  therefore,  by  useless  condolences, 
open  afresh  the  sluices  of  your  grief,  nor,  although  mingling  sincerely  my  tears  with 
yours,  will  I  say  a  word  more  where  words  are  vain,  but  that  it  is  some  comfort  to  us 
both  that  the  time  is  not  very  distant  at  which  we  are  to  deposit  in  the  same  cere- 
ment our  sorrows  and  suffering  bodies,  and  to  ascend  in  essence  to  an  ecstatic  meet- 
ing with  the  friends  we  have  loved  and  lost,  and  whom  we  shall  still  love  and  never 
lose  again.  God  bless  and  support  you  under  your  heavy  affliction. 

Thomas  Jefferson. 

THOMAS  GRAY  TO  MR.  MASON  ON  THE  DEATH  OF  MRS.  MASON. 

March  28th,  1767. 

I  break  in  upon  you  at  a  moment  when  we  least  of  all  are  permitted  to  disturb  our 
friends,  only  to  say  that  you  are  daily  and  hourly  present  to  my  thoughts.  If  the 
worst  be  not  yet  past,  you  will  neglect  and  pardon  me;  but  if  the  last  struggle  be 
over,  if  the  poor  object  of  your  long  anxieties  be  no  longer  sensible  to  your  kindness, 
or  to  her  own  sufferings,  allow  me  (at  least  in  idea,  for  what  could  I  do,  were  I 
present,  more  than  this?)  to  sit  by  you  in  silence,  and  pity  from  my  heart,  not  her 
who  is  at  rest,  but  you  who  lose  her.  May  He  who  made  us,  the  Master  of  our 
pleasures  and  our  pains,  preserve  and  support  you.  Adieu.  I  have  long  understood 
how  little  you  had  to  hope. 

EDGAR  A.    POE  TO  MRS.    S.    H.  WHITMAN. 

Oct.  18,  1848. 

*  *  *  I  suffered  my  imagination  to  stray  with  you,  and  with  the  few  who  love 
us  both,  to  the  banks  of  some  quiet  river  in  some  lovely  valley  of  our  land.  Here, 
nor  far  secluded  from  the  world,  we  exercised  a  taste  controlled  by  no  conventionali- 
ties, but  the  swom  slave  of  a  Natural  Art,  in  the  building  for  ourselves  a  cottage 
which  no  human  being  could  ever  pass  without  an  ejaculation  of  wonder  at  its 
strange,  weird,  and  incomprehensible,  yet  simple,  beauty.  Oh,  the  sweet  and  gor- 
geous, but  not  often  rare,  flowers  in  which  we  half  buried  it — the  grandeur  of  the 
magnolias  and  tulip  trees  which  stood  guarding  it — the  luxurious  velvet  of  its  lawn — 
the  lustre  of  the  rivulet  that  ran  by  its  very  door — the  tasteful  yet  quiet  comfort  of  its 
interior — the  music — the  books — the  unostentatious  pictures — and,  above  all,  the 
love,  the  love  that  threw  an  unfading  glory  over  the  whole.  Alas!  all  is  now  a 
dream. 

CHRISTOPHER  COLUMBUS  TO  HIS  SON. 

To  my  very  dear  Son,  Diego  Columbus: — 

My  dear  Son— Diego  Mendez  departed  from  this  place  on  Monday,   the  3d  of 


LE  TTERS  AND  EXTRA  CTS.  1 65 

this  month.  After  his  departure  I  conversed  with  Amerigo  Vespucci,  the  bearer  of 
this,  who  has  been  summoned  to  court  upon  matters  of  navigation.  He  has  always 
been  desirous  of  pleasing  me,  and  is  a  very  worthy  man.  Fortune  has  been  unpropi- 
tious  to  him,  as  to  many  others,  and  his  labors  have  not  profited  him  as  much  as 
reason  would  seem  to  require.  He  goes  for  me,  and  with  a  great  desire  to  do  some- 
thing which  may  redound  to  my  advantage,  if  it  is  in  his  power.  I  know  not  here 
what  instructions  to  give  him  that  will  benefit  me,  because  I  know  not  what  is  de- 
sired of  him  there.  He  goes  determined  to  do  for  me  all  that  is  possible.  See  what 
can  be  done  to  advantage  there,  and  labor  for  it,  that  he  may  know  and  speak  of 
everything  and  set  things  in  motion.  Let  everything  be  done  secretly,  that  no  suspi- 
cion may  arise.  I  have  said  to  him  all  that  I  can  say  touching  this  business,  and  I 
have  informed  him  of  the  payments  which  have  been  made  to  me  and  which  are  yet 
to  make.  *  *  *  *  May  the  Lord  have  you  in  his  holy  keeping! 
Done  at  Seville,  February  5,  1505. 

Thy  father,  who  loves  thee  better  than  himself, 

Christopher  Columbus. 
THOMAS  MOORE  TO  LEIGH  HUNT. 

Mayfield  Cottage,  Mar.  7,  1814. 
My  dear  Hunt: — 

I  do  forgive  you  for  your  long  silence,  though  you  have  much  less  right  to  be  care- 
less about  our  non-intercourse  than  I  have — if  I  knew  as  little  about  you  and  your 
existence  as  you  know  of  me,  I  should  not  feel  quite  so  patient  under  the  privation — 
but  I  have  the  advantage  of  communing  with  you,  for  a  very  delightful  hour,  every 
Tuesday  evening,  of  knowing  your  thoughts  upon  all  that  passes,  and  of  exclaiming, 
"right!  bravo!  exactly!"  to  every  sentiment  you  express;  whereas,  from  the  very 
few  signs  of  life  I  give  in  the  world,  you  can  only  take  my  existence  for  granted,  as 
we  do  that  of  the 

"  Little  woman  under  the  hill, 
Who,  if  she's  not  gone,  must  live  there  stflL" 

However,  I  do  forgive  you,  and  only  wish  I  could  pay  you  back  a  millesimal  part  of 
the  pleasure  which — in  various  ways — as  poet,  as  politician,  as  partial  friend,  you 
have  lately  given  me.  Your  Rimini  is  beautiful,  and  its  only  faults  such  as  you  are 
aware  of,  and  prepared  to  justify.  There  is  that  maiden  charm  of  originality  about  it 
— that  "  integer,  illibatusque  succus,"  which  Columella  tells  us  the  bees  extract — 
that  freshness  of  the  living  fount  which  we  look  hi  vain  for  in  the  bottled-up  Heli- 
conian of  ordinary  bards;  in  short,  it  is  poetry;  and  notwithstanding  the  quaintnesses, 
the  coinages,  and  even  affectations,  with  which,  here  and  there — 

I  had  just  got  so  far,  my  dear  Hunt,  when  I  was  interrupted  by  a  prosing  neighbor, 
who  has  put  everything  I  meant  to  say  out  of  my  head;  so,  there  I  must  leave  you, 
impaled  on  the  point  of  this  broken  sentence,  and  wishing  you  as  little  torture  there 
as  the  nature  of  the  case  will  allow.  I  have  only  time  to  say  again  that  your  poem 
is  beautiful,  and  that,  if  I  do  not  exactly  agree  with  some  of  your  notions  about  versi 
fication  and  language,  the  general  spirit  of  the  work  has  more  than  satisfied  my  utmost 
expectations  of  you.  If  you  go  on  thus,  you  will  soon  make  some  of  Apollo's  guests 
"sit  below  the  salt."  The  additions  to  this  latter  poem  are  excellent,  and  the  lines 
on  music  at  the  end  are  full  of  beauty. 

There  are  many  of  the  lines  of  Rimini  that  "haunt  me  like  a  passion."  I  don't 
know  whether  I  ought  to  own  that  these  are  among  the  number.  I  quote  from 
memory: — 

"The  woe  was  short,  was  fugitive,  is  past! 
The  song  that  sweetens  it,  may  always  last." 


16  Li  LETTER     WRITING. 


I  am  afraid  you  will  set  this  down  among  your  regular,  sing-song  couplets — to  me 
it  is  all  music.  *  *  Ever,  my  dear  Hunt,  most  faithfully  yours, 

Thomas  Moore. 

I  hope  to  deliver  my  mighty  work  into  Longman's  hands  in  May;  but,  of  course,  it 
will  not  go  to  press  till  after  the  summer. 

PERCY   BYSSHE  SHELLEY  TO  LEIGH  HUNT. 

Livorno,  Sept  3,  1819. 
My  dear  Friend:— 

At  length  has  arrived  Ollier's  parcel,  and  with  it  the  portrait.  What  a  delightful 
present!  It  is  almost  yourself;  and  we  sat  talking  with  it,  and  of  it,  all  the  evening. 
It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  us  to  possess  it,  a  pleasure  in  a  time  of  need,  coming  to  us 
when  there  are  few  others.  How  we  wish  it  were  you,  and  not  your  picture!  How 
I  wish  we  were  with  you! 

This  parcel,  you  know,  and  all  its  letters,  are  now  a  year  old;  some  older. 
There  are  all  kinds  of  dates,  from  March  to  August,  1818,  and  "your  date,"  to  use 
Shakspeare's  expression,  "is  better  in  a  pie  or  a  pudding,  than  in  your  letter." 
"Virginity,"  Parolles  says;  but  letters  are  the  same  thing  in  another  shape. 

With  it  came,  too,  Lamb's  works.  I  have  looked  at  none  of  the  other  books  yet. 
What  a  lovely  thing  is  his  Rosamond  Gray!  How  much  knowledge  of  the  sweetest 
and  deepest  part  of  our  nature  is  in  it!  When  I  think  of  such  a  mind  as  Lamb's, 
when  I  see  how  unnoticed  remain  things  of  such  exquisite  and  complete  perfection, 
what  should  I  hope  for  myself,  if  I  had  not  higher  objects  in  view  than  fame? 

I  have  seen  too  little  of  Italy  and  of  pictures.  Perhaps  Peacock  has  shown  you 
some  of  my  letters  to  him.  But  at  Rome  I  was  very  ill,  seldom  able  to  go  out  with- 
out a  carriage;  and  though  I  kept  horses  for  two  months,  yet  there  is  so  much  to  see! 
Perhaps  I  attended  more  to  sculpture  than  painting — its  forms  being  more  easily 
intelligible  than  those  of  the  latter.  Yet  I  saw  the  famous  works  of  Raphael,  whom 
I  agree  with  the  whole  world  in  thinking  the  finest  painter.  Why,  I  can  tell  you 
another  time.  /  With  respect  to  Michael  Angelo,  I  dissent,  and  think  with  astonish- 
ment and  indignation  on  the  common  notion  that  he  equals,  and  in  some  respects 
exceeds  Raphael^  He  seems  to  me  to  have  no  sense  of  moral  dignity  and  loveliness; 
and  the  energy  for  which  he  has  been  so  much  praised  appears  to  me  to  be  a  certain 
rude,  external,  mechanical  quality,  in  comparison  with  anything  possessed  by  Raphael, 
or  even  much  inferior  artists.  His  famous  painting  in  the  Sixtine  Chapel  seems  to 
me  deficient  in  beauty  and  majesty,  both  hi  the  conception  and  the  execution.  He 
has  been  called  the  Dante  of  painting;  but  if  we  find  some  of  the  gross  and  strong 
outlines,  which  are  employed  in  the  few  most  distasteful  passages  of  the  Inferno, 
where  shall  we  find  your  Francesca? — where,  the  spirit  coming  over  the  sea  in  a  boat, 
like  Mars  rising  from  the  vapors  of  the  horizon? — where,  Matilda  gathering  flowers, 
and  all  the  exquisite  tenderness,  and  sensibility  and  ideal  beauty,  in  which  Dante 
excelled  all  poets  except  Shakspeare? 

As  to  Michael  Angelo's  Moses — but  you  have  seen  a  cast  of  that  in  England.  I 
write  these  things,  Heaven  knows  why! 

I  have  written  something  and  finished  it,  different  from  anything  else,  and  a  new 
attempt  for  me;  and  I  mean  to  dedicate  it  to  you.  I  should  not  have  done  so  with- 
out your  approbation,  but  I  asked  your  picture  last  night  and  it  smiled  assent.  If  I 
did  not  think  it  in  some  degree  worthy  of  you,  I  would  not  make  you  a  public  offer- 
ing of  it  I  expect  to  have  to  write  to  you  soon  about  it.  If  Oilier  is  not  turned 
Christian,  Jew,  or  become  infected  with  the  Murrain,  he  will  publish  it  Don't  lef 


LETTERS   AND   EXTRACTS.  167 

him  be  frightened,  for  it  is  nothing  which  by  any  courtesy  of  language  can  be  termed 
either  moral  or  immoral. 

Mary  has  written  to  Marianne  for  a  parcel,  in  which  I  beg  you  will  make  Oilier 
inclose  what  you  know  would  most  interest  me — your  Calendar  (a  sweet  extract  from 
which  I  saw  in  the  Examiner],  and  the  other  poems  belonging  to  you;  and,  for  some 
friends  of  mine,  my  Eclogue.  This  parcel,  which  must  be  sent  instantly,  will  reach 
me  by  October;  but  don't  trust  letters  to  it,  except  just  a  line  or  so.  When  you 
write,  write  by  the  post.  Ever  your  affectionate, 

P.  B.  S. 

My  love  to  Marianne  and  Bessy,  and  Thornton,  too,  and  Percy,  etc. ;  and  if  you 
could  imagine  any  way  in  which  I  could  be  useful  to  them  here,  tell  me.  I  will 
inquire  about  the  Italian  chalk.  You  have  no  idea  of  the  pleasure  this  portrait 
gives  us. 

E.    LYTTON  BULWER  TO  WILLIAM  GODWIN. 

Bognor,  Sept.  17,  1830. 
My  dear  Sir: — 

I  am  greatly  obliged  and  pleased  by  your  letter,  and  I  am  unexpectedly  rejoiced 
that  my  address  to  the  people  of  Southwark  should  produce  one  effect — an  increase 
of  your  good  opinion.  You  surprise  and  grieve  me,  however,  by  thinking  so  ill  of 
my  judgment  as  to  imagine  me  slow  in  seeking  your  acquaintance.  The  fact  is,  that 
you  a  little  misconceive  my  character.  I  am  in  ordinary  life  so  very  reserved  and 
domiciliated  a  person,  that  to  court  anybody's  good  opinion  as  I  have  done  yours  is 
an  event  in  my  usual  quietude  of  habit. 

With  respect  to  the  utilitarian — not  "self-love"  system  of  morals,  all  I  can  say  is 
that  I  am  convinced  if  I  commit  a  blunder  it  is  in  words,  not  things.  I  understand 
by  the  system  that  benevolence  may  be  made  a  passion,  that  it  is  the  rule  and  square 
of  all  morality;  that  virtue  loses  not  one  atom  of  its  value,  or  one  charm  from  its 
loveliness.  If  I  err,  I  repeat,  it  is  in  words  only.  But  my  doctrine  is  not  very 
bigotedly  embraced.  And  your  essay  has  in  two  points  let  a  little  skepticism  into  a 
rent  in  my  devotion. 

My  advice,  or  rather  opinion,  such  as  it  may  be,  is  always  mosf  heartily  at  your 
service,  and  you  will  flatter  and  gratify  me  by  any  desire  for  it. 

I  am  living  here  very  quietly  and  doing,  what  think  you?  .writing  poetry.  After 
that,  it  may  be  superfluous  to  tell  you  that  Bognor  is  much  resorted  to  by  insane 
people.  Ever  and  most  truly  yours, 

E.  Lytton  Bulwer. 

JOHN  HOWARD  PAYNE  TO  WILLIAM  GODWIN. 

New  York,  Nov.  30,  1833. 
My  dear  Mr.  Godwin:— 

I  have  written  a  letter  or  two  which  I  have  reason  to  believe  you  never  saw;  but  I 
presume  those  detailing  the  shuffling  and  ill-treatment  of  the  booksellers  on  the  sub- 
ject of  your  novel,  must  have  reached  you.  I  hope  you  are  satisfied  I  did  everything 
in  my  power  to  secure  you  some  advantage  from  this  work.  But  I  am  now  convinced 
that,  unless  for  some  party  purpose;  it  is  impossible  to  create  a  more  liberal  spirit  in 
reference  to  literary  matters  here  than  the  law  enables  me  to  command;  and  in  your 
case  the  law  gave  all  the  power  out  of  your  hands.  Competition,  if  it  could  have 
been  kindled,  might  have  given  some  power  to  the  possessor  of  the  earliest  copy,  but 
\  labored  in  vain  to  create  such  a  spirit;  and  after  great  efforts,  and  one  or  two  long 


168  LETTER    WRITING. 


journeys,  was  obliged  quietly  to  let  a  paltry  edition  appear,  and  endure  to  be  laughed 
at  for  my  philippics  against  the  powerful  booksellers,  who,  for  a  hope  of  disreputable 
profit,  could  stoop  to  so  much  meanness. 

I  have  only  a  moment  to  spare  for  the  purpose  of  asking  your  civilities  to  a  friend 
of  mine — Mr.  Rand,  an  artist.  He  has  been  kind  enough  to  promise  me  your 
portrait,  if  you  will  so  far  oblige  me  as  to  sit  for  it.  I  know  this  is  asking  much,  but 
I  shall  prize  the  favor  in  proportion  to  the  sacrifice.  I  feel  persuaded  that  Mr.  Rand 
will  produce  such  a  picture  as  will  deserve  to  be  prized;  and  a  good  likeness  of  you 
I  should  deem  invaluable. 

Thomas  Cooper  has  been  obliged  to  appeal  to  public  sympathy  for  his  family.  The 
people  came  forward  very  handsomely.  At  Philadelphia  they  had  a  benefit  which 
yielded  $2,500,  and  one  was  lately  given  in  New  York,  amounting  to  $4,500. 

I  am,  etc., 
John  Howard  Payne. 

REV.  GEORGE  CRABBE  TO  MRS.  LEADBETTER. 

Trowbridge,  1st  of  I2th  month,  1816. 

*  *  But  are  you  not  your  father's  own  daughter?  Do  you  not 
flatter  after  his  manner?  How  do  you  know  the  mischief  you  may  do  in  the  mind  of 
a  vain  man,  who  is  but  too  susceptible  of  praise,  even  while  he  is  conscious  of  so 
much  to  be  placed  against  it?  I  am  glad  that  you  like  my  verses;  it  would  have 
mortified  me  much  if  you  had  not,  for  you  can  judge  as  well  as  write.  *  *  * 

Yours  are  really  very  admirable  things;  and  the  morality  is  as  pure  as  the  literary 
merit  is  conspicuous.  I  am  not  sure  that  I  have  read  all  that  you  have  given  us,  but 
what  I  have  read  has  really  that  rare  and  all  but  undefinable  quality,  genius;  that  is 
to  say,  it  seizes  on  the  mind  and  commands  attention,  and  on  the  heart  and  compels 
its  feelings.  How  could  you  imagine  that  I  could  be  otherwise  than  pleased  — 
delighted  rather — with  your  letter  ?  And  let  me  not  omit  the  fact  that  I  reply  the 
instant  I  am  at  liberty,  for  I  was  enrobing  myself  for  church.  * 

But  your  motive  for  writing  to  me  was  your  desire  of  knowing  whether  my  men 
and  women  were  really  existing  creatures  or  beings  of  my  own  imagination.  Nay, 
Mary  Leadbetter,  yours  "was  a  better  motive;  you  thought  that  you  should  give  me 
pleasure  by  writing,  and  yet — you  will  think  me  very  vain — you  felt  some  pleasure 
yourself  in  renewing  the  acquaintance  that  commenced  under  such  auspices!  Am  I 
not  right?  My  heart  tells  me  that  I  am,  and  hopes  that  you  will  confirm  it.  Be 
assured  that  I  feel  a  very  cordial  esteem  for  the  friend  of  my  friend — the  virtuous, 
the  worthy  character  whom  I  am  addressing.  Yes,  I  will  tell  you  readily  about  my 
creatures,  whom  I  endeavored  to  paint  as  nearly  as  I  could  and  dared,  for  in  some 
cases  I  dared  not.  This  you  will  readily  admit;  besides,  charity  bade  me  be  cautious. 
Thus  far  you  are  correct;  there  is  not  one  of  whom  I  had  not  in  my  mind  the  original, 
but  I  was  obliged  in  some  cases  to  take  them  from  their  real  situations;  in  one  or 
two  instances  to  change  even  the  sex,  and  in  many  the  circumstances.  The  nearest 
to  real  life  was  the  proud,  ostentatious  man  in  the  "Borough,"  who  disguises  an 
ordinary  mind  by  doing  great  things;  but  the  others  approach  to  reality  at  greater  or 
less  distances.  Indeed,  I  do  not  know  that  I  could  paint  merely  from  my  own  fancy, 
and  there  is  no  cause  why  we  should.  Is  there  not  diversity  sufficient  in  society? 
And  who  can  go,  even  but  a  little,  into  the  assemblies  of  our  fellow  wanderers  from 
the  way  of  perfect  rectitude,  and  not  find  characters  so  varied  and  so  pointed  that  he 
need  not  call  upon  his  imagination  ? 


LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS.  169 

Will  you  not  write  again?  Write  to  thee,  or  for  the  public?  wilt  thou  not  ask? 
To  me,  zxAfor  as  many  as  love  and  can  discern  the  union  of  strength  and  simplicity, 
purity  and  good  sense.  Our  feelings  and  our  hearts  is  the  language  you  can  adopt. 
Alas!  I  cannot  with  propriety  use  it;  our  I  too  once  could  say,  but  I  am  alone  now, 
and  since  my  removing  into  a  busy  town,  among  the  multitude,  the  loneliness  is  but 
more  apparent  and  more  melancholy.  But  this  is  only  at  certain  times;  and  then  I 
have,  though  at  considerable  distances,  six  female  friends,  unknown  to  each  other, 
but  all  dear,  very  dear  to  me.  With  men  I  do  not  much  associate,  not  as  deserting, 
and  much  less  disliking,  the  male  part  of  society,  but  as  being  unfit  for  it;  not  hardy 
nor  grave;  not  knowing  enough;  not  sufficiently  acquainted  with  the  every-day  con- 
cerns of  men.  But  my  beloved  creatures  have  minds  with  which  I  can  better  assim- 
ilate. Think  of  you  I  must,  and  of  me  I  must  entreat  that  you  would  not  be 
unmindful. 

Thine,  dear  lady,  very  truly, 
George  Crabbe. 

QUEEN  ANNE  BOLEYN  TO  HENRY  THE  EIGHTH. 

Sir:— 

Your  grace's  displeasure  and  my  imprisonment  are  things  so  strange  unto  me,  as 
what  to  write,  or  what  to  excuse,  I  am  altogether  ignorant.  Whereas  you  send  unto 
me  (willing  me  to  confess  a  truth,  and  so  obtain  your  favor)  by  such  an  one  whom 
you  know  to  be  mine  ancient  professed  enemy,  I  no  sooner  received  this  message  by 
him  than  I  rightly  conceived  your  meaning;  and  if,  as  you  say,  confessing  a  truth 
indeed  may  procure  my  safety,  I  shall,  with  all  willingness  and  duty,  perform  your 
command. 

But  let  not  your  grace  ever  imagine  that  your  poor  wife  will  ever  be  brought  to 
acknowledge  a  fault  where  not  so  much  as  a  thought  thereof  proceeded.  And,  to 
speak  a  truth,  never  prince  had  wife  more  loyal  in  all  duty,  and  in  all  true  affection, 
than  you  have  ever  found  in  Anne  Boleyn;  with  which  name  and  place  I  could 
willingly  have  contented  myself,  if  God  and  your  grace's  pleasure  had  been  so  pleased. 
Neither  did  I  at  any  time  so  far  forget  myself  in  my  exaltation,  or  received  queenship, 
but  that  I  always  looked  for  such  an  alteration  as  now  I  find;  for  the  ground  of  my 
preferment  being  on  no  surer  foundation  than  your  grace's  fancy,  the  least  alteration 
I  know  was  fit  and  sufficient  to  draw  that  fancy  to  some  other  subject.  You  have 
chosen  me  from  a  low  estate  to  be  your  queen  and  companion,  far  beyond  my  desert 
and  desire.  If,  then,  you  found  me  worthy  of  such  honor,  good  your  grace  let  not 
any  light  fancy,  or  bad  counsel  of  mine  enemies  withdraw  your  princely  favor  from 
me;  neither  let  that  stain,  that  unworthy  stain,  of  a  disloyal  heart  toward  your  good 
grace,  ever  cast  so  foul  a  blot  on  your  most  dutiful  wife,  and  the  infant  princess, 
your  daughter.  Try  me,  good  king,  but  let  me  have  a  lawful  trial;  and  let  not  my 
sworn  enemies  sit  as  my  accusers  and  judges;  yea,  let  me  receive  an  open  trial  (for 
my  truth  shall  fear  no  open  shame);  then  shall  you  see  either  mine  innocence  cleared, 
your  suspicion  and  conscience  satisfied,  the  ignominy  and  slander  of  the  world 
stopped,  or  my  guilt  openly  declared.  *  *  * 

If  ever  I  found  favor  in  your  sight,  if  ever  the  name  of  Anne  Boleyn  hath  been 
pleasing  in  your  ears,  then  let  me  obtain  this  request,  and  I  will  so  leave  to  trouble 
your  grace  any  further  with  my  earnest  prayers  to  the  Trinity  to  have  your  grace  in 
his  good  keeping,  and  to  direct  you  in  all  your  actions.  From  my  doleful  prison  in 
the  Tower,  the  6th  of  May.  Your  most  loyal  and  ever  faithful  wife. 


170  LETTER  WRITING. 


DAVID  HUME  TO  EDWARD  GIBBON. 

London,  Oct.  24th,  1767. 
Sir:— 

It  is  hut  a  few  days  ago  since  Mr.  Deyverdun  put  your  manuscript  into  my  hands, 
and  I  have  perused  it  with  great  pleasure  and  satisfaction.  I  have  only  one  objection 
derived  from  the  language  in  which  it  is  written.  Why  do  you  compose  in  French, 
and  carry  faggots  into  the  wood,  as  Horace  says  with  regard  to  Romans  who  wrote 
in  Greek?  I  grant  that  you  have  a  like  motive  to  those  Romans,  and  adopt  a 
language  much  more  generally  diffused  than  your  native  tongue;  but  have  you  not 
remarked  the  fate  of  those  two  ancient  languages  in  following  ages?  The  Latin, 
though  then  less  celebrated,  and  confined  to  more  narrow  limits,  has,  in  some 
measure,  outlived  the  Greek,  and  is  now  more  generally  understood  by  men  of  letters. 
Let  the  French,  therefore,  triumph  in  the  present  diffusion  of  their  tongue.  Our 
solid  and  increasing  establishments  in  America,  where  we  need  less  dread  the  inunda- 
tions of  barbarians,  promise  a  superior  stability  and  duration  to  the  English  language. 

Your  use  of  the  French  tongue  has  also  led  you  into  a  style  more  poetical  and 
figurative,  and  more  highly  colored  than  our  language  seems  to  admit  of  in  historical 
productions;  for  such  is  the  practice  of  French  writers,  particularly  the  more  recent 
ones,  who  illuminate  their  pictures  more  than  custom  will  permit  us.  On  the  whole, 
your  history  is  written,  in  my  opinion,  with  spirit  and  judgment,  and  I  exhort  you 
very  earnestly  to  continue  it.  The  objections  that  occurred  to  me,  on  reading  it, 
were  so  frivolous  that  I  shall  not  trouble  you  with  them,  and  should,  I  believe,  have 
a  difficulty  to  recollect  them.  I  am,  with  great  esteem, 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

David  Hume. 

SIR  ISAAC  NEWTON  TO  MR.  LOCKE. 

Sir: — 

The  last  winter,  by  sleeping  too  often  by  my  fire,  I  got  an  ill  habit  of  sleeping, 
and  a  distemper  which  this  summer  has  been  epidemical  put  me  further  out  of  order, 
so  that  when  I  wrote  to  you  I  had  not  slept  an  hour  a  night  for  a  fortnight,  and  for 
five  days  together  not  a  wink.  I  remember  I  wrote  to  you,  but  what  I  said  of  your 
book  I  remember  not.  If  you  please  to  send  me  a  transcript  of  that  passage,  I  will 
give  you  an  account  of  it,  if  I  can. 

I  am  your  most  humble  servant, 

Isaac  Newton. 

EDMUND  BURKE  TO  DR.   WILLIAM  ROBERTSON. 

I  am  perfectly  sensible  of  the  very  flattering  description  I  have  received  in  your 
thinking  me  worthy  of  so  noble  a  present  as  that  of  your  "  History  of  America."  I 
have,  however,  suffered  my  gratitude  to  live  under  some  suspicion  by  delaying  my 
acknowledgment  of  so  great  a  favor.  But  my  delay  was  only  to  render  my  obliga- 
tion to  you  more  complete,  and  my  thanks,  if  possible,  more  merited.  The  close 
of  the  session  brought  a  good  deal  of  very  troublesome,  though  not  important  busi- 
ness on  me  at  once.  I  could  not  go  through  your  work  with  one  breath  at  that  time, 
though  I  have  done  it  since.  I  am  now  enabled  to  thank  you,  not  only  for  the 
honor  you  have  done  me,  but  for  the  great  satisfaction,  and  infinite  variety  and  com- 
pass of  instruction  I  have  received  from  your  incomparable  work.  * 

The  part  which  I  read  with  the  greatest  pleasure  is  the  discussion  on  the  manners 


LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS.  171 

and  character  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  new  world.  I  have  always  thought,  with 
jou,  that  we  possess  at  this  time  very  great  advantages  toward  the  knowledge  of 
human  nature.  We  need  no  longer  go  to  history  to  trace  it  in  all  its  stages  and 
periods.  History,  from  its  comparative  youth,  is  but  a  poor  instructor.  When  the 
Egyptians  called  the  Greeks  children  in  antiquities,  we  may  well  call  them  children; 
and  so  we  may  call  all  those  nations  which  were  able  to  trace  the  progress  of  society 
only  within  their  own  limits.  But  now  the  great  map  of  mankind  is  unrolled  at 
once,  and  there  is  no  state  or  gradation  of  barbarism,  and  no  mode  of  refinement, 
which  we  have  not  at  the  same  moment  under  our  view;  the  very  different  civility  of 
Europe  and  China;  the  barbarism  of  Persia  and  of  Abyssinia;  the  erratic  manners 
of  Tartary  and  of  Arabia;  the  savage  state  of  North  America  and  of  New  Zealand. 
Indeed,  you  have  made  a  noble  use  of  the  advantages  you  have  had.  You  have 
employed  philosophy  to  judge  on  manners,  and  from  manners  you  have  drawn  new 
resources  for  philosophy. 

Adieu,  sir;  continue  to  instruct  the  world;  and  whilst  we  carry  on  a  poor  unequal 
conflict  with  the  passions  and  prejudices  of  our  day,  perhaps  with  no  better  weapons 
than  other  prejudices  and  passions  of  our  own,  convey  wisdom  at  our  expense  to 
future  generations. 

MISS  CHARLOTTE  CUSHMAN  TO  A  YOUNG   FRIEND. 

I  knew  all  you  have  told  me  of  your  circumstances, 

before  I  spoke  to  you.  You  will  believe,  from  what  I  have  told  you  of  my  own 
character  and  study,  that  I  do  not  recklessly  waste  my  feelings;  and  when  you  ask 
me  if  I  shall  despise  you  for  your  employment,  you  little  know  the  admiration  you 
hare  excited  hi  me  by  your  capabilities,  and  I  admire  you  all  the  more  for  not, despising 
it  yourself.  How  many  there  are  who  have  a  horror  of  my  profession!  Yet  I  dearly 
love  the  very  hard  work,  the  very  drudgery  of  it,  which  has  made  me  what  I  am. 
Despise  labor  of  any  kind !  I  honor  it,  and  only  despise  those  who  do  not  find  sufficient 
value  in  it  to  admire.  You  did  not  know  me  when  you  asked  me  if  I  would  despise 
you  for  it!  But  you  must  find  little  time  for  practicing  music— a  hard  and  labor- 
demanding  vocation.  I  have  tried  it  myself,  therefore  am  fully  qualified  to  speak  of 
it.  Have  you  calculated  the  time  it  must  take  to  fit  you  for  a  teacher,  and  are  you 
able  to  give  your  whole  heart  to  it?  For,  indeed,  it  demands  it.  Your  gentleness  of 
disposition  will  do  much  for  you  in  it,  for  oh!  it  requires  more  patience  than  brains. 
But  you  have  brains  of  no  ordinary  kind,  that  would  be  chained  into  a  narrow  com- 
pass over  a  piano.  How  very  many  with  no  earthly  capacity, — mere  machines, 
automata,^rise  to  eminence  as  pianists  and  teachers  of  the  piano! 

It  seems  to  me  a  waste  of  God's  greatest  gift,  intellect.  It  is  not  alone  poetry 
that  you  write  well.  Your  notes  and  letters  are  mature,  and  free  from  girlishness  or 
mawkish  sentiment.  You  write  as  freshly  as  you  think,  and  your  thoughts  are  as 
genuine  and  fresh  as  your  expression;  and  I  could  almost  grieve  over  those  circum- 
stances which  have  given  you  more  confidence  in  this  than  in  your  other  gifts. 
Would  not  the  time  spent  upon  the  study  of  the  piano  prove  of  more  serious  benefit 
to  you  spent  in  the  study  of  the  poetic  art? 

I  have  not  time  even  to  tell  you  what  I  think  of  your  lines,  but  I  will  in  a  few 
days.  Meantime  let  me  urge  you  to  condense  your  thoughts,  to  bring  them  all  into 
the  fewest  words  possible.  Concentration  is  the  grand  merit  of  all  writing  as  well  as 
til  action.  You  have  the  power  in  you,  and  you  will  show  it. 

Now  that  I  know  your  ideas  upon  the  profession  you  are  preparing  yourself  for,  I 
12 


172  LETTER    WRITING. 

have  not  a  word  to  say.  You  seemed  to  me  "young  thoughted."  I  imagined  it  but 
a  fancy  that  possessed  you,  as  likely  to  bring  only  pleasure  in  its  employment.  I 
know  the  toil  it  is.  I  know  the  wearying  work  it  is  to  teach.  I  know  the  unceasing 
and  untiring  patience  it  requires,  and  I  feared  you  had  not  looked  upon  all  the  dis- 
agreeables. However,  I  find  you  have,  and  you  seem  to  have  judged  prudently. 
But  were  your  situation  other  than  it  is,  were  more  required  of  you,  pecuniarily,  I 
should  have  advised  anything  on  earth  but  teaching  as  a  means  of  living.  Don't  let 
anything  that  I  have  said  cause  you  a  moment's  care  with  regard  to  it.  I  think  I 
told  you  in  my  last  that,  not  knowing  your  idea,  I  was  not  competent  to  give  an 
opinion;  not  for  the  world  would  I  interfere  with  what  seems,  as  you  present  it  to  me, 
prudent.  Yet  remembering  that,  no  matter  how  much  you  teach,  you  must  be  kept  in 
practice  yourself,  or  you  fail  to  inspire  confidence,  I  feel  you  have  selected  a  laborious 
profession;  but  God  speed  you,  and  give  you  patience,  which  is  all  that  is  necessary. 
*  »  » 

THOMAS  DE  QDINCY    TO  HIS  DAUGHTER   EMILY. 

Thursday  Night,  Nov.  6,  1856 

Now,  my  dear  Emily,  the  time  is  close  at  hand  when,  if  you  are  quite  disentangled 
from  engagements,  I  should  feel  greatly  obliged  by  your  coming  home.  Yet  stop! 
not  too  soon;  pause  for  a  few  days,  and  for  the  following  reason.  Several,  to 
wit  two  (if  not  three)  long  letters, — one  I  think,  dated  two  months  ago,  were  written 
by  me  to  yourself  and  to  Mr.  Craig.  Unfortunately  they  both  fell  into  a  pile  of  papers, 
from  which  I  never  could  extricate  them  without  more  serious  trouble  than  the  press 
laborers  would  allow  me.  To-morrow,  or  maybe  to-night,  I  shall  find  them.  But 
now,  if  you  were  to  come  away  too  suddenly,  to  whom  could  I  send  them?  These 
elaborate  letters  will,  in  that  case,  want  a  reader,  which  is  dreadful.  So  to  a  cer- 
tainty I  will  send  two  at  least  to-morrow  or  by  Sunday.  Would  you  believe  it?  not 
until  yesterday,  viz.,  Wednesday,  November  5th,  the  clock  then  stricking  four  p.  M., 
did  I  write  the  last  correction  on  the  last  proof,  viz.,  the  Prefatory  Notice  of  the  new 
"Confessions."  All  last  night,  and  I  presume  all  this  day,  the  machine  (so  I  believe 
they  call  the  last  new  invention  for  throwing  off  copies  rapidly)  has  been  at  work;  and 
one  single  copy,  wanting  the  Prefatory  Notice,  was  sent  off  to  London  upon  Tuesday 
night,  November  4th,  for  the  purpose  of  being  what  is  technically  called  subscribed.  I 
shall  wait  with  some  little  anxiety  the  result.  *  *  * 

THOMAS  DE  QUINCEY  TO . 

At  my  birth,  among  the  fairies  that  honoured  this  event  by  their  presence  was  one 
— an  excellent  creature — who  said,  "The  gift  which  I  bring  for  the  young  child  is 
this:  Among  the  dark  lines  in  the  woof  of  his  life  I  observe  one  which  indicates  a 
trifle  of  procrastination  as  lying  amongst  his  frailties,  and  from  that  frailty  I  am 
resolved  to  take  out  the  sting.  My  gift,  therefore,  is — that,  if  he  must  always  seem 
in  danger  of  being  too  late,  he  shall  very  seldom  be  so  in  fact. "  Upon  which  up 
jumped  a  wicked  old  fairy,  vexed  at  not  having  received  a  special  invitation  to  the 
natal  festivity,  who  said,  "  You'll  take  the  sting  out,  will  you?  But  now,  madam, 
please  to  see  me  put  it  back  again.  My  gift  is  that,  if  seldom  actually  in  danger  of 
being  too  late,  he  shall  always  be  in  fear  of  it!  Not  often  completing  the  offense,  he 
shall  forever  be  suffering  its  penalties."  Yes,  so  she  said;  and  so  it  happened.  The 
curse  which  she  imposed  I  could  not  evade.  My  only  resource  was  to  take  out  my 
revenge  in  affronting  her.  On  this  occassion  I  whispered  to  her,  whilst  mounting  the 


LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS.  173 

box,  "Well,  old  girl,  here  I  am;  and,  as  usual,  quite  in  time."  That  word,  "as 
usual"  must,  I  knew,  be  wormwood  to  her  heart,  so  I  repeated  it,  saying,  "Your 
malice,  old  cankered  lady,  is  defeated,  you  see,  as  usual."  "Certainly,  my  son," 
was  her  horrid  reply,  "you  are  in  time,  and  generally  are  so.  But  it  grieves  me  to 
know  that  for  the  last  half  hour  you  have  been  suffering  horrid  torments  of  mind." 

COLONEL  ROBERT  G.  JNGERSOLL  TO  A  FRIEND  WHO  HAD  LOST  HIS  MOTHER. 

*  After  all,  there  is  something  tenderly  appropriate  in  the  serene 
death  of  the  old.  Nothing  is  more  touching  than  the  death  of  the  young,'  the  strong; 
but  when  the  duties  of  life  have  all  been  nobly  done — when  the  sun  touches  the 
horizon — when  the  purple  twilight  falls  upon  the  present,  the  past,  and  future — when 
memory  with  dim  eyes  can  scarcely  spell  the  records  of  the  vanished  days — then, 
surrounded  by.  kindred  and  by  friends,  death  comes  like  a  strain  of  music.  The  day 
has  been  long,  the  road  weary,  and  we  gladly  stop  at  the  inn. 

Life  is  a  shadowy,  strange  and  winding  road,  on  which  we  travel  for  a  little  way — 
a  few  short  steps,  just  from  the  cradle,  with  its  lullaby  of  love,  to  the  low  and  quiet 
wayside  inn,  where  all  at  last  must  sleep  and  where  the  only  salutation  is  "Good 
night!" 

Nearly  forty-eight  years  ago,  under  the  snow  in  the  little  town  of  Cazenovia,  my 
poor  mother  was  buried.  I  was  but  two  years  old.  I  remember  her  as  she  looked 
in  death.  That  sweet,  cold  face  has  kept  my  heart  warm  through  all  the  years. 

MADAME  RECAMIER  TO  HER  NIECE, 

Aix-la-Chapelle,  Aug.  26,  1818. 

I  write  very  seldom  to  you,  my  poor  dear  little  girl,  because  I  am  still  an  invalid; 
but  I  think  of  you  a  great  deal,  and  with  lively  affection.  I  have  not  a  grief,  not  a 
•vexation,  that  I  do  not  say  to  myself  that  I  will  do  all  that  is  in  my  power  to  prevent 
your  being  exposed  to  the  same  trials.  In  your  happiness  I  hope  to  find  my  conso- 
lation; prove  your  gratitude  by  striving  to  perform  all  your  duties.  I  have  been 
deeply  touched  by  your  praying  for  me  after  receiving  absolution.  Poor  dear  little 
one,  may  Heaven  bless  you,  and  may  you  be  happier  than  II 

MISS  EDGEWORTH  TO  MRS.  SOMERVILLE. 

Edgeworthtown,  May  3 1st,  1832. 
My  dear  Mrs.  Somerville: — 

There  is  one  satisfaction  at  least  in  giving  knowledge  to  the  ignorant,  to  those  who 
know  their  ignorance  at  least,  that  they  are  grateful  and  humble.  You  should  have 
my  grateful  and  humble  thanks  long  ago  for  the  favour — the  honor — you  did  me  by 
sending  me  that  Preliminary  Dissertation,  in  which  there  is  so  much  knowledge,  but 
that  I  really  wished  to  read  it  over  and  over  again  at  some  intervals  of  time,  and  to 
have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  my  sister  Harriet  read  it,  before  I  should  write  to  you. 
She  has  come  to  us,  and  has  just  been  enjoying  it,  as  I  knew  she  would.  For  my 
part,  I  was  long  in  the  state  of  the  boa  constrictor  after  a  full  meal — and  I  am  but 
just  recovering  the  powers  of  motion.  My  mind  was  so  distended  by  the  magnitude, 
the  immensity,  of  what  you  put  into  it!  I  am  afraid  that  if  you  had  been  aware  how 
ignorant  I  was  you  would  not  have  sent  me  this  dissertation,  because  you  would  have 
felt  that  you  were  throwing  away  much  that  I  could  not  understand,  and  that  could 
be  better  bestowed  on  scientific  friends  capable  of  judging  of  what  they  admire.  I  can 
only  assure  you  that  you  have  given  me  a  great  deal  of  pleasure;  that  you  have 
enlarged  my  conception  of  the  sublimity  of  the  universe,  beyond  any  ideas  I  had  ever 
before  been  enabled  to  form.  *  *  * 


174  LETTER    WRITING. 


I  forgot  to  mention  (page  58)  a  passage  on  the  propagation  of  sound.  It  is  a  beau, 
tiful  sentence,  as  well  as  a  sublime  idea,  "so  that  at  a  very  small  height  above  the 
surface  of  the  earth,  the  noise  of  the  tempest  ceases  and  the  thunder  is  heard  no 
more  in  those  boundless  regions  where  the  heavenly  bodies  accomplish  their  periods 
in  eternal  and  sublime  silence." 

Excuse  me  in  my  trade  of  sentence-monger,  and  believe  me,  dear  Mrs.  Somerville, 
truly  your  obliged  and  truly  your  affectionate  friend, 

Maria  Edgeworth. 

I  have  persuaded  your  dear  curly-headed  friend,  Harriet,  to  add  her  own  observa- 
tions; she  sends  her  love  to  you;  and  I  know  you  love  her,  otherwise  I  would  not 
press  her  to  write  her  own  say. 

MISS  JOANNA  BAILLIB  TO  MRS.  SOMERVILLE. 

Hampstead,  Feb.  ist,  1832. 
My  dear  Mrs.  Somerville: — 

I  am  now,  thank  God!  recovered  from  a  very  heavy  disease,  but  still  very  weak. 
I  will  not,  however,  delay  any  longer  my  grateful  acknowledgments  for  your  very 
flattering  gift  of  your  Preliminary  Dissertation.  Indeed,  I  feel  myself  greatly  honored 
by  receiving  such  a  mark  of  regard  from  one  who  has  done  more  to  remove  the  light 
estimation  in  which  the  capacity  of  women  is  too  often  held,  than  all  that  has  been 
accomplished  by  the  whole  sisterhood  of  poetical  damsels  and  novel-writing  authors. 
I  could  say  much  more  on  this  subject  were  I  to  follow  my  own  feelings;  but  I  am 
still  so  weak  that  writing  is  a  trouble  to  me,  and  I  have  nearly  done  all  that  I  am 
able,  God  bless  and  prosper  youl 

Yours  gratefully  and  truly, 

J.  Baillie. 
JOHN  G.  WHITTIER  TO  MRS.  SARGENT. 

Amesbury,  Wednesday  Eve. 
My  dear  Mrs.  Sargent: — 

Few  stronger  inducements  could  be  held  out  to  me  than  that  in  thy  invitation  to 
meet  Lucretia  Mott  and  Mary  Carpenter.  But  I  do  not  see  that  I  can  possibly  go  to 
Boston  this  week.  None  the  less  do  I  thank  thee,  my  dear  friend,  in  thinking  of  me 
in  connection  with  their  visit. 

My  love  to  Lucretia  Mott,  and  tell  her  I  have  never  forgotten  the  kind  welcome 
and  generous  sympathy  she  gave  the  young  abolitionist  at  a  time  when  he  found 
small  favor  with  his  "orthodox"  brethren.  What  a  change  she  and  I  have  lived 
to  see!  I  hope  to  meet  Miss  Carpenter  before  she  leaves  us.  For  this,  and  for  all 
thy  kindness  in  times  past,  believe  me  gratefully  thy  friend, 

John  G.  Whittier. 

TOSHIBA  TORAJIRO  TO  HIS  FATHER. 

1859. 

My  dear  Father: — 

I,  Yoshida  Torajiro,  have  been  guilty  of  great  errors,  and  have  offended  against 
the  law  of  my  country,  yet  still  my  life  has  been  preserved.  In  looking  back  upon 
the  last  twenty-nine  years  I  find  I  have  frequently  passed  through  great  dangers;  in 
fact,  my  very  existence  has  often  been  in  peril,  and  I  know  that  I  have  caused  great 
trouble  to  you  all,  my  dear  father  and  brothers.  I  have  been  a  great  offender  and  a 
bad  son;  but  if  I  remain  silent  at  the  present  crisis  of  our  empire  the  result  might  be 
the  destruction  of  the  Imperial  Government.  * 


LETTERS  AND  EXTRACTS. 


I  have  heard  that  the  samurai  of  Owari,  Mito,  and  Yechizen  have  conceived  a  plan 
or  putting  an  end  to  li  Kamon  no  Kami,  and  when  this  came  to  my  knowledge  I 
leaped  up  and  danced  three  hundred  times.  Rejoiced  as  I  was,  I  reflected  that  if  I 
were  to  join  in  the  execution  of  the  plot,  people  would  laugh  at  me  because  I  simply 
followed  the  lead  of  others.  Therefore,  I  arranged  with  a  few  of  my  own  friends 
and  am  going  to  Kioto  with  the  object  of  killing  Mabe  Jensho.  It  is  our  desire  to 
cut  off  his  head  and  impale  it  on  a  bamboo,  and  thus  manifest  our  resolution  to  serve 
the  rightful  cause.  There  is  nothing  more  glorious  for  me  than  to 

be  distinguished  in  so  honorable  a  manner,  and  I  must  prove  my  gratitude  and  loy- 
alty without  paying  the  slightest  attention  to  the  preservation  of  my  life.  I  am  not 
mindful  of  my  duties  to  you,  but  I  wish  you  to  understand  me  that  I  have  felt  as  if  I 
were  dead  for  a  long  time.  I  cannot  write  all  I  could  wish,  owing  to  the  sorrowful 
state  of  my  heart. 

THOMAS  HOOD  TO  B.  W.  PROCTER. 

Dear  Procter:— 

I  feel  so  sure  that  you  do  not  know  of  my  state,  or  you  would  come  and  see  me, 
that  I  do  not  hesitate  to  ask  it.  I  have  been  three  months  in  bed  and  am  given  over; 
but,  as  I  have  never  been  quite  alive  for  some  years,  was  quite  prepared  for  such  a 
verdict. 

As  one  of  my  earliest  literary  friends,  come  and  say  good-bye  to 

Yours,  ever  truly, 
Thomas  Hood. 

LEIGH  HUNT  TO  B.  W.  PROCTER. 

Thanks  for  your  thanks,  my  dear  Procter — things  which  always  seem  to  me  so 
much  to  call  for  them,  that  I  suppose  it  is  out  of  the  pure  inability  of  seeing  an  end 
to  the  replication,  that  no  such  acknowledgments  are  made.  You  talk  of  my  being 
ground  young  again  in  my  writings;  but  you  ask  about  the  "Mill"  in  so  lively  a  style 
of  your  own,  that  you  seem  to  be  in  no  want  of  it.  *  *  * 

Your  considerate,  abstract  question,  whether  boiled  chicken  with  macaroni  is  not 
better  than  mutton,  I  shall  do  my  best  to  answer  in  the  concrete  next  Tuesday,  with 
all  the  masticatory  faculties  that  are  left  me.  Monday,  I  wish  I  could  have  said; — 
and  I  thought  all  days  were  at  my  disposal  when  I  wrote  last,  but  a  correspondence 
has  since  grown  upon  me,  which  I  do  not  think  I  can  finish  before  Monday  evening, 
and  I  am  anxious  when  I  come  to  you  to  be  able  to  enjoy  my  visit  without  anj 
drawback. 

As  to  "old  times,"  great  indeed  will  be  my  pleasure  in  talking  about  them. 

With  ever  kindest  regards, 
Leigh  Hunt. 

HARRIET  MARTINEAU  TO  CHAPMAN. 

London,  Jan.  24,  1855. 
My  dear  Friend:— 

You  are  generous  in  desiring  me  not  to  write  to  you  if  too  busy.  I  need  not  say 
that  keeping  up  my  friendship  with  you  is  more  important  than  any  business,  and 
dearer  than  most  pleasures.  I  must  tell  you  now  why  I  have  not  written  before;  and 
I  wish  I  could  spare  you,  by  the  way  of  telling,  any  of  the  pain  which  I  must  give 
you.  The  last  half-year  has  been  the  gravest,  perhaps,  that  I  have  ever  known.  I 
think  I  told  you  of  the  sad  cholera  season  when  I  was  at  Sydenham,  and  some  of  the 


176  LETTER  WRITING. 


best  people  at  work  among  us  died,  and  others  were  sick  and  I  had  their  work  to  do 
while  ill  myself,  and  sore  at  heart  for  the  world's  loss  in  them.  Two  months  later 
died  my  very  dear  friend,  the  editor  of  the  Daily  News — cut  off  by  a  fever  at  the 
age  of  forty — a  man  whose  place  cannot  possibly  be  filled.  Since  Dr.  Pollen's 
death  I  have  not  had  such  a  personal  sorrow;  but  in  sight  of  his  devoted  wife  and  his 
four  children,  and  the  gap  made  in  our  public  action  by  his  loss,  I  could  not  dwell 
on  my  own  sorrow.  And  now  it  turns  out  that  I  need  not;  for  I  am  going  to  follow 
him.  My  dear  friend,  you  are  a  brave  woman,  and  you  have  shown  that  you  can 
serenely  part  with  comrades  and  friends,  and  work  on  for  the  cause;  and  you  must  do 
the  same  again.  I  will  try  to  work  with  you  for  such  time  as  I  remain;  but  I  am 
mortally  ill,  and  there  is  no  saying  for  how  long  this  may  be.  *  *  * 

This  is  not  the  answer  you  are  looking  for  to  your  charming  invitation,  but  such 
is  life,  and  such  a  marplot  is  death!  I  think  you  can  hardly  want  much  information 
as  to  my  state  of  feeling.  My  life  has  been  a  full  and  vivid  one,  so  that  I  consider 
myself  a  very  old  woman  indeed,  and  am  abundantly  satisfied  with  my  share  in  the 
universe  (even  if  that  were  of  any  real  consequence).  I  have  not  the  slightest  anxiety 
about  dying — not  the  slightest  reluctance  to  it.  I  enjoy  looking  on,  and  seeing  our 
Tvorld  under  the  operation  of  a  law  of  progress;  and  I  really  do  not  feel  that  my  drop- 
ping out  of  it,  now  or  a  few  years  hence,  is  a  matter  worth  drawing  attention  to  at 
all, — my  own  or  another's. 

And  now,  dear  friend,  fare\\  ell,  at  least  for  the  present.  If  you  wish  to  write,  do 
so.  But  I  do  not  ask  it,  because  I  desire  that  you  should  do  what  is  most  congenial 
to  your  own  feeling*  *  * 

I  am,  while  I  live,  your  loving  friend, 

Harriet  Martineau* 


FORMS  OF  ADDRESS. 


177 


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178  FORMS  OF  ADDRESS. 


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FORMS  OF  ADDRESS. 


179 


X 


INDEX. 


PaSe. 

Address 76,  124 

forms  of. 1 29 

Brevity ..71,  100 

Brief  Letter 106 

Business  Correspondence 71 

Capital  Letters 105 

Cards 119 

Clearness 96 

Closing,  Complimentary 82,  125 

Esquire 77,  127 

Folding 85 

Heading 74 

Hon 128 

Inexperienced  Writers 97 

Insertion 94 

Letter,  body  of 80 

folding  of 85 

of  credit 1 16 

of  business 112 

social.    123 

and  extracts 131 


Page. 

Margin 76 

Master 128 

Miss 128 

Mr.  and  Esq 127 

Mrs 128 

Neatness 71 

Notes 121 

Paragraphs 81,  126 

Penmanship 1 26 

Perspicuity 7 1 ,96 

Postal  Cards 95 

President 1 28 

Punctuation 106 

Rules  for  business  letters 119 

Signature 82 

Stamp 94 

Superscription 86 

Telegrams 95 

Titles 127 

Underline 127 

U.  S.  A.  andU.  S.  N...  ...128 


INDEX   TO    AUTHORS. 


Page. 

Adams,  John 163 

Adams,  Mrs.  John 133 

Aiken,  Lucy 143 

Baillie,  Joanna 174 

Barrett,  Elizabeth  B 155 

Beethoven,  Ludwig 143 

Blessington,  Lady. 161 

Boleyn,  Anne 169 

Brentano,  Bettine 135 


Page. 

Brontg,  Charlotte 140 

Browning,  Robt 155 

Bulwer,  E,  Lytton 167 

Burke,  Edmund 170 

.Ourney,  Frances 146 

Bums,  Robert 160 

Burroughs,  Chas. 137 

Byron 132 

Byron,  Lady 153 


182 


INDEX  TO  AUTHORS. 


Campbell,  Thos 162 

Carlyle,  Thos 156 

Carlyle,  Mrs 156 

Charming,  Dr 14$ 

Chesterfield,  Lord 160 

Coleridge,  S.  T 154 

Columbus,  Christopher 164 

Cowper,  William 134 

Crabbe,  George 168 

Cromwell,  Oliver 139 

Cushman,  Charlotte 171 

Dickens,  Chas 147,  148,  149 

Edgeworth,  Maria, 173 

Emerson,  R.  W. 146 

Franklin,  Benj. 134 

Goethe 135 

Goethe,  Elizabeth 135 

Godwin,  WilKam 162 

Gray,  Thomas 164 

Hawthorne,  Nathaniel 136,  1 37 

Holmes,  O.  W 134 

Hood,  Thos 175 

Hume,  David 17° 

Hunt,  Leigh 175 

Ingersoll,  Colonel  R.  G 173 

Irving,  Washington 161 

Jefferson,  Thos 164 

Johnson,  Sam 160 

Lamb,  Chas 143 

Landor,  W.  S 152 

Longfellow,  H.  W 137 

Lowell,  J.  R 138 

Macaulay,  T.  B 141,  H2 

Martineau,  Harriet 175 

Mitford,M.  R. 137 


Montagu,  Lady  M.  W. 157 

Moore,  Thos 165 

More,  Hannah 153 

Mozart 131 

Nelson,  Horatio 151 

Newton,  Sir  Isaac 170 

Payne,  John  Howard 167 

Poe,  Edgar  A. 164 

Pope,  Alexander 159 

Prescott,  W.  H. 158 

Quincey,  Thos.  de 172 

Rachel 149 

R&amier,  Madame 173 

Robinson,  H.  C 153 

Schiller 132 

Schubert,  Franz 141 

Scott,  Sir  Walter 163 

Sedgwick,  Miss  150 

Sedgwick,  Robert 1 50 

Sedgwick,  Theodore 150 

S6vign<5,  Madame  de 158 

Shelley,  P.  B 166 

Smith,  Sydney 159,  160 

Southey,  Robert 161 

Southey,  Mrs.  Robert 133 

Sumner,  Chas 138 

Thackeray,  W.  M. 155 

Torajiro,  Yoshida 174 

Walpole,  Horace 139 

Washington,  Geo. 154 

Webster,  Daniel 139 

Whittier,  J.  G 1 74 

Wordsworth,  Wm. 151 

Wordsworth,  Mis*  152 


A     000  020  542     7 


